Reading the introduction, we learn that Harris Burdick walked into a children's book publishing office with 14 stories that went along with 14 illustrations he had drawn. Leaving the illustrations in the publishing office, Burdick was never heard from again, and the stories that go with each drawing remain a mystery. The only thing we have left is a title and caption for each picture. In one drawing, an overwrought man holds a chair over his head and is about to hit a lump under the carpet. The title and caption are: ''Under the Rug': Two weeks passed and it happened again.' In another, a boy and a girl skip stones on the sparkly surface of water. The title and caption are: ''A Strange Day in July': He threw with all his might, but the third stone came skipping back.' Some of the drawings are scary, some are mysterious, some are dreamlike, but all are evocative and full of wonder and imagination. ( )

The Mysteries of Harris Burdick is an intruiging tale for young students. The book is a collection of pictures that were left by Harris Burdick, who said he would return with the stories to go along with them the next day. But Harris Burdick never returned! The pictures do each have a title, though. This would be a great story to use with children to get them to write their own stories describing the pictures in this book. Since the real stories are unknown, students could feel like they are in fact a part of the story of this book by trying to solve the mystery of these pictures. There is an entire website devoted to this story at www.themysteriesofharrisburdick.com. Also visit Chris Van Allsburg's website at www.chrisvanallsburg for more information. ( )

This was and excellent book! I loved the pictures! This would be such a great book to use in the classroom. I would give the students one of the pictures and the caption and have them write a story about it. ( )

ALA Notable Books for Children 1985, Boston Glob Horn Book Honor 1985,
New York Times Best Illustrated 1984
wordless picture book

This book is great for children to be able to imagine their own stories from the illustrations. There are minimal words listed in this book, so it allows for children to use their own skills as writers and create their own. ( )

A different kind of picture book. It would be a great writing prompt for the classroom. Excellent illustrations, as usual. ( )

These pictures are classics. The quality of their mysteriousness is not uniform, but the best among them make the whole package very fascinating. The well-documented activity of writing stories based on the fragments is good one and could work as a library as well as a school activity. ( )

This is such an intriguing book. It really captures your attention. The author's note grabs you and makes you wonder if it is a fiction or non-fiction book. The illustrations are full of details that not everyone would be able to catch on a first glance. Everytime I look at a picture, I notice another detail. ( )

Was this produced before Jumanji? If so, I beleive I may have found a source of motivation for it! Amazing pictures and thought provoking captions! This would be great to read in front of a class and hear what the children think! ( )

This book is marvelous for so many reasons. It is really a book about what it is like to be a reader of books. There are a number of illustrations, each one for a story. You know the title of the story, the illustration, and the caption for the illustration. That's all. The whole rest of the book is in your head: YOU are the one who has to decide how the story got from the title to the picture, and where it goes from there. This makes the book one of the longest very thin books I have ever read. In fact, since every time I read it, I make up different stories, I have yet to reach the end. ( )

The fantastical and creepy black and white drawings will entice English Learners and reluctant readers to want to write a story of their own based on the sketch's caption. ( )

Harris Burdick is one of the best books that has only captions!!!! This book has an introduction that explains the reasoning behind the book and then just pictures and a title to go with the picture. This book is a great book for your imagination!!

I loved this book as a reader. I loved being about to use my imagination to figure out what "happened" in the picture and the story behind it. The pictures are vintage Allsburg and are essentually the book itsself. Highly recommended.

This book is a creative writing project dream!!! You could use this book every single day of the week and get a different response to every picture every time! I am going to use this book when i am a teacher to help create creativity and originality in my students writing. Perfect book for writing!!! ( )

An imaginative book that makes the reader want to tell the stories behind the pictures. It's a lovely concept and there are such a wide range of ideas that everyone is sure to be captured by at least one. Allsburg's slightly ethereal style is very well-suited to the mysterious nature of the "story". There is a dream-like quality to both the story fragments and the accompanying illustrations. ( )

This book is full of intriguing pictures that are explained only through a single caption. Not only are the pictures mysterious, but so are their origins. ( )

This is a collection of single page illustrations with a short sentence or phrase caption. There is no plot, no story, just a series of Van Allsburg's wonderful illustrations, each of which offers such a wealth of detail that you'll have no trouble making up a story to go with it. Or several. ( )

The Mysteries of Harris Burdick is a collection of 14 pictures with titles and captions. All of the pictures, mysterious in nature, invite the reader to think up a corresponding story. The pictures are intricately detailed and offer much to the imagination. My mind began to pump for meaning within the details of each black and white drawing. The titles and captions were even more mysterious. Students of all ages could be asked to write stories to go with these very creative pictures. I know I would like to use the book with my child someday to help her learn to tell a narrative. This book can be used with English language learners, reluctant readers, and highly gifted students because it connects to the imagination in all of us. ( )