The Garden of Abdul Gasazi    Chris Vanallsburg


This is a terrific read.  It is about a young boy named Alan who hates dogs, and his aunt brings her dog to visit and expects Alan to watch it.  As he walks the dog they stumble onto Abdul Gasazi's garden where it is posted no dogs allowed.  Fritz the dog takes off into the garden and Alan must chase after it.  They run into Abdul Gasazi- a retire magician- and he tells Alan to take Fritz and go before he turns him into a duck.  Alan tries and Fritz can not be handled and Gasazi turns Fritz into a duck, and Alan must go home and tell his aunt what has happened.  He gets there and is so upset with what has happened and tells his aunt, who says Abdul is lying and a trickster and Fritz is there and must have found his way home.  Alan is relieved until he sees his hat in Fritz mouth, the same hat he stole as a duck.   It is a great read and very fantasy like because it deals with magic and morphing into other animals.   It is an easy read and young children everywhere will love it!  It has myth, magic and humor.  Its great for 1st-5th grade and has amazing illustrations.    This is another one of my author study books and Chris Vanallsburg has the most magnificent stories and each has a twisted ending that is surprising and satisfying. 

Just a Dream   Chris VanAllsburg


This is a great fantasy story about Walter who does not like to recycle.  He throws his garbage down and thinks that the girl down the street who plants a tree for her birthday is a dork, until one night he has a dream that the world is full of garbage and can not exist the way it is supposed to.  He dreams there are no streets or houses and is all a garbage dump, and when he wakes he decides to change his ways and goes and picks up trash and he too decides to plant a tree for his birthday, and he marries that young girl who started the whole thing and tells his grandchildren about that tree when they get older.  This is a great fantasy story because it is realistic in nature but has futuristic tendencies in having flying cars, and the possibility of a garbage filled future if things do not change.  It also has amazing illustrations done by Chris Vanallsburg, which he is known for.  It is great for any age group, but is especially great for 1st-4th because it has a moral obligation and also has great content and is interesting.