Chris Van Allsburg is one of America's most innovative picture book creators. He was awarded the Caldecott Medal for Jumanji and The Polar Express and received a Caldecott Honor for his very first book, The Garden of Abdul Gasazi . He has received the Regina Medal for lifetime achievement in children's literature, a National Book Award, and a Society of Illustrators Original Art Lifetime Achievement Award, among other honors. He lives outside of Boston, Massachusetts. Visit him at chrisvanallsburg.com.