Chris Van Allsburg has always been one of my favorite children’s authors, His surreal art work and off-kilter stories piqued the imaginations of my own children as they grew up. I think he captures the dark side of a child’s imagination with his wonderful illustrations and fanciful narratives. A particularly outstanding book is The Mystery of Harris Burdick. Unusual in its lack of narrative, Harris Burdick compels the reader to create their own stories to accompany the mysterious illustrations and captions that make up the book. My own children enjoyed writing on the blank pages and creating their own publication. The fourth and fifth graders I work with seem to find it immensely enjoyable as well. The difference is that now my students can hone their craft on our class wikispace, allowing for peer review and back channel dialogue about their writing.

Once their stories are completed, students have the option of recording their creation, which is then set to music and presented for everyone to enjoy in a podcast. I hope to upload a new episode of our Harris Burdick podcasts every couple of weeks throughout the year.

Our first two episodes are ready for your listening pleasure. Enjoy! And please let us know what you think about them.

The Mystery of Harris Burdick Unraveled