The story offers a very important, but fictional, introduction to the reader. As it is told, Harris Burdick wrote fourteen stories with fourteen illustrations. He dropped his illustrations off to a book publisher and was never seen again. The Mysteries of Harris Burdick is a collection of his drawings. Each drawing has a title and a caption. The rest of the story is left to the reader's imagination!
The drawings are erie, magical and beautiful at the same time! As you examine each picture you will begin to tell a story. I promise! You cannot look at the pictures and not help but wonder what the story is behind it. Because of this, The Mysteries of Harris Burdick is a great book to practice the skill of inferring. There is no right or wrong answer - only your child's background knowledge and the illustration clues to weave a story of fantasy.
This book is a great spring board for a writing activity! Look at one of the pictures with your child. Read the title and the caption. Talk about what might be happening in the picture. What could the story be about? After having a solid conversation, let your child write the story he/she thinks belongs with the illustrations.
I bet your child will surprise you with his/her story! When I was teaching, I would get twenty-six completely different stories and I was always amazed with my students' creativity!
Grab this book. I know you and your child will love it!
Stay tuned. In October, fourteen authors are going to tell their tales of The Mysteries of Harris Burdick! I cannot wait!
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