The Stranger [Hardcover]

Chris Van Allsburg (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 28, 1986 | Age Level: 5 and up | Grade Level: K and up

The enigmatic origins of the stranger that Farmer Bailey hits with his truck and brings home to recuperate seem to have a mysterious relation to the weather. Could he be Jack Frost?

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Farmer Bailey thinks he's hit a deer while driving his truck, but in the middle of the road lies a man, an enigmatic stranger. He goes home with Farmer Bailey, his memory apparently gone. Weeks pass at the Bailey farm; the stranger seems happy to be around them, and helps with the harvest. Oddly, while trees to the north of the farm turn red and gold with the arrival of fall, Bailey's land seems to be in a state of perpetual summer. One day, the stranger sees geese flying south and knows that he, too, must leave. Not long after that, the leaves at the farm change color and the air turns cool. And every year since, summer lasts a week longer at the Bailey farm than anywhere else. Van Allsburg's story is strangely melancholy, and his straightforward writng is uncannily dry, in contrast to the vivid green and golden landscapes of his paintings. The mood and suspense in this book make it compellinga chance to see the artist take a slight incident and create a truly mysterious event. (All ages
Copyright 1986 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Review

"The author-illustrator has woven a thread of fantasy in and around his realistic illustrations to give the reader, once again, a story that stays in the imagination." Horn Book

"The author-illustrator has woven a thread of fantasy in and around his realistic illustrations to give the reader, once again, a story that stays in the imagination." Horn Book Guide

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 5 and up
  
• Hardcover: 32 pages
• Publisher: Houghton Mifflin Books for Children; 1ST edition (October 28, 1986)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0395423317
• ISBN-13: 978-0395423318
• Product Dimensions: 9.6 x 10.4 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (51 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #31,667 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #24 in Books > Children's Books > Science, Nature & How It Works > Nature > Weather

More About the Author

Chris Van Allsburg is the winner of two Caldecott Medals, for Jumanji and The Polar Express, as well as the recipient of a Caldecott Honor Book for The Garden of Abdul Gasazi. The author and illustrator of numerous picture books for children, he has also been awarded the Regina Medal for lifetime achievement in children's literature. In 1982, Jumanji won the National Book Award and in 1996, it was made into a popular feature film. Chris Van Allsburg was formerly an instructor at the Rhode Island School of Design. He lives in Rhode Island with his wife and two children.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

24 of 24 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent read aloud, January 8, 2000

By 

M. Guillot (Houma, LA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Stranger (Hardcover)

Teachers - this is a wonderful book for a read aloud. I read this book to a class of second graders and they were completely entranced by the illustrations and by the stranger in the story. The book is wonderfully illustrated and is great to read during the fall season to the students. Also, because the stranger's identity remains a mystery this book is a wonderful lead into a writing activity. Read it. You'll love it!

14 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars WHAT A FASCINATING WORK!, October 11, 2006

By 

D. Blankenship (The Ozarks) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: The Stranger (Hardcover)

Other reviewers have used the word "strange" to discribe this work. I think the words "haunting" and "mysterious," probably hit closer to the mark. At least they do for me. This is one of those works that will certainly make you think. More importantly, it will make, or should make, the young reader think. That is the key to the fascination of the text of this work. Beyond doubt, the illustrations are quite wonderful, even beautiful. I did note that some of the youth reviews here were not overly enthusiastic. I have found that many young people do indeed "get" the story, while others do not. Some simply do not have the capacity to wonder, to imagine. This is sort of sad in a way, but on the other hand, it is works such as this, that if read with an adult who does have that spark of wonder in them, might allow some of that wonder to rub off. I like a good fantasy and a good mystery, ergo, I liked this book and do recommend it. The art work and stark writing alone are worth it.

20 of 22 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A hypnotic book, July 26, 2002

By 

Catherine S. Vodrey (East Liverpool, Ohio United States) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: The Stranger (Hardcover)

Chris van Allsburg's "The Stranger" is, well, a very interesting read. I have to admit to NOT liking it the first couple of times I read it to my kids, partly because the stranger in question remains a stranger throughout the book. Van Allsburg gives us no easy answers here. Still, this makes the book an excellent jumping-off place for questions about who we are, what makes a group of people a family or a community, and how well we really all know each other.

The illustrations are, as usual, stellar van Allsburg stuff. The cover portrait especially, of the stranger being served soup by Farmer Bailey's wife, is very nearly hypnotic. The stranger's face is suffused with a mixture of fear and wonderment, and you find yourself thinking, "Is it the soup that fascinates him? The tureen across the table? The farmer's wife?" It really gets you thinking.