I believe that there will be many things that happen to me in my life that I will not be able to explain. Some of those might be magic. I’m not sure. – Chris Van Allsburg
It was the case for a number of years that I was doing a book a year, but that was back when I was part-time teaching – and since 1991, I’ve been a parent, so that cuts into the time! – Chris Van Allsburg
I don’t like to get scared – it’s not one of the emotions I enjoy. So I have to assume that if there are scary things in my books, they aren’t very scary. – Chris Van Allsburg
I have very positive memories of reading biographies of unusual Americans as a child. – Chris Van Allsburg
A good picture book should have events that are visually arresting – the pictures should call attention to what is happening in the story. – Chris Van Allsburg
Santa is our culture’s only mythic figure truly believed in by a large percentage of the population. It’s a fact that most of the true believers are under eight years old, and that’s a pity. – Chris Van Allsburg
I am never really surprised at the way my books take shape. They are just not as perfect as I’d like them to be. – Chris Van Allsburg
The crudest thing I’ve done as a teacher was to require students to write a national anthem for their country and sing it themselves. – Chris Van Allsburg
The Dick, Jane, and Spot primers have gone to that bookshelf in the sky. I have, in some ways, a tender feeling toward them, so I think it’s for the best. – Chris Van Allsburg
Growing up in the 1950s, in Grand Rapids, Michigan, boys were supposed to be athletic. – Chris Van Allsburg
‘The Polar Express’ began with the idea of a train standing alone in the woods. I asked myself, ‘What if a boy gets on that train? Where does he go?’ – Chris Van Allsburg
At first, I see pictures of a story in my mind. Then creating the story comes from asking questions of myself. I guess you might call it the ‘what if – what then’ approach to writing and illustration. – Chris Van Allsburg
Authors of books are not given very much control over the films that are made from their books. – Chris Van Allsburg
I’ve always thought of the book as a visual art form, and it should represent a single artistic idea, which it does if you write your own material. – Chris Van Allsburg
The theory of isolation of certain tasks in certain hemispheres of the brain suggests I shouldn’t even be able to speak, never mind write. – Chris Van Allsburg
It seems to me that not only the writing in most children’s books condescends to kids, but so does the art. I don’t want to do that. – Chris Van Allsburg
I think parents generally know what’s best for their children. But I suppose it’s possible to be overprotective. – Chris Van Allsburg
