Chris Van Allsburg (born June 18, 1949) is an
American illustrator and writer of children's books. He has won two
Caldecott Medals for U.S. picture book illustration, for
Jumanji (1981) and
The Polar Express (1985), both of which he also wrote; both were later
adapted as successful motion pictures. He was also a Caldecott runner-up in 1980 for
The Garden of Abdul Gasazi. For his contribution as a children's illustrator he was 1986 U.S. nominee for the biennial, international
Hans Christian Andersen Award, the highest international recognition for creators of children's books. He received the honorary degree of Doctor of Humane Letters from the University of Michigan in April 2012.