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The Garden of Abdul Gasazi: A Caldecott Honor Award Winner Hardcover – Picture Book, February 25, 2025
Purchase options and add-ons
The first picture book from the astonishing imagination of Chris Van Allsburg, creator of Jumanji and The Polar Express. Now with a completely refreshed design and two-color interior artwork.
The thin line between illusion and reality blur for young Alan Mitz when he stumbles into the garden of Abdul Gasazi. In this unexpected place where strange topiary trees loom, the eerie presence of Gasazi casts its shadow and nothing is quite as it seems. Even after Alan escapes, the spell of Gasazi follows him into the everyday world, just as it will follow readers of this unforgettable picture book.
Awarded a Caldecott Honor, the exquisite illustrations in The Garden of Abdul Gasazi will linger in the minds of readers long after they have left the enchanted garden.
- Reading age4 - 8 years
- Print length32 pages
- LanguageEnglish
- Grade levelPreschool - 3
- Lexile measureAD580L
- Dimensions12.25 x 0.5 x 10 inches
- PublisherClarion Books
- Publication dateFebruary 25, 2025
- ISBN-10039527804X
- ISBN-13978-0395278048
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Customer Reviews |
4.9 out of 5 stars 19,980
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4.8 out of 5 stars 961
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Price | $9.01$9.01 | $11.59$11.59 | $13.58$13.58 | $11.73$11.73 | $11.17$11.17 | $11.69$11.69 |
Get immersed in the worlds of Chris Van Allsburg | In this holiday classic, the Polar Express makes its way to the huge city standing alone at the top of the world, where the boy will make his Christmas wish. | This story about a game that comes startlingly to life is a family favorite that inspires imagination and explores the ever-shifting line between fantasy and reality. | When Harris Burdick goes missing, all he’s left behind are a series of drawings with captions. Enticed to come up with their own endings, readers will marvel at the mystery behind these lasting drawings and the charm of an ever changing narrative. | The very thin line between illusion and reality was blurred the day Alan Mitz stumbled into the garden of Abdul Gasazi. Even after Alan escapes, the spell of Gasazi still seems to penetrate into his everyday world. | A companion to the Caldecott Medal–winning Jumanji—this is a tale of intergalactic adventure and sibling rivalry where a roll of the dice transports two brothers to the mythical land of Zathura. | The enchanting story of a widow who finds herself in possession of an extraordinary broom after a witch falls into her garden. |
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4.6 out of 5 stars 150
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Get immersed in the worlds of Chris Van Allsburg | At the turn of the nineteenth century, a retired charm school instructor seeking fame and fortune, decided to do something that no one in the world had ever done before—she would go over Niagara Falls in a wooden barrel. | 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? | This inspired collection of short stories inspired by The Mysteries of Harris Burdick features many remarkable, best-selling authors in the worlds of both adult and children's literature. | Monsieur Bibot was given two ordinary-looking figs as payment for extracting a tooth from an old woman's mouth. He eats one fig and realizes it makes his dream come true. He is determined to control his dreams before he eats the second fig. | This provocative story within a story leads readers to ponder the realities of fictional worlds and the lives of the characters who populate them. | The story of a boy and his obsession to become the world’s greatest sailor and a storm that carried him to a place where boats sail on the wind, instead of on the water. |
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4.9 out of 5 stars 600
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4.7 out of 5 stars 171
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4.8 out of 5 stars 203
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Price | $12.99$12.99 | $16.62$16.62 | $14.58$14.58 | $16.72$16.72 | $13.99$13.99 | $15.54$15.54 |
Get immersed in the worlds of Chris Van Allsburg | The ants are tired of their humdrum life in the same ant hole, so they’re off to the strange new world of a kitchen in search of sugar crystals for their queen. When two ants stay behind and take a nap in the sugar bowl, they are in for a wild ride. | A dramatic black- and- white presentation of the alphabet which depicts a mysterious transformation of each letter. | In a story recounted through the daily log of Captain Allan Hope, the sailors aboard the Rita Anne become mesmerized and transformed by a mysterious glowing rock, and only music and books can restore them to normal. | On a terrifically rainy day, Ben has a dream in which he and his house float by the monuments of the world. | Travel with young Walter on a fantastical adventure as he journeys—by way of his bed—into a polluted dreamscape world that wakes him up to our collective and individual environmental responsibility. | Being a pet store hamster isn’t much fun for Sweetie Pie, but life in human homes proves perilous. As Sweetie Pie gazes out of his cage at the squirrels frolicking in the trees, he wonders if he’ll ever have the chance to feel the wind in his fur. |
Editorial Reviews
Review
"This is without question one of the best -- and most original -- picture books in years." — New York Times
About the Author
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.
Product details
- Publisher : Clarion Books; First Edition (February 25, 2025)
- Language : English
- Hardcover : 32 pages
- ISBN-10 : 039527804X
- ISBN-13 : 978-0395278048
- Reading age : 4 - 8 years
- Lexile measure : AD580L
- Grade level : Preschool - 3
- Item Weight : 15.2 ounces
- Dimensions : 12.25 x 0.5 x 10 inches
- Best Sellers Rank: #44,490 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #81 in Children's Ducks & Other Waterfowl Books
- #499 in Children's Dog Books (Books)
- #1,004 in Children's Classics
- Customer Reviews:
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
Customer Reviews, including Product Star Ratings help customers to learn more about the product and decide whether it is the right product for them.
To calculate the overall star rating and percentage breakdown by star, we don’t use a simple average. Instead, our system considers things like how recent a review is and if the reviewer bought the item on Amazon. It also analyzed reviews to verify trustworthiness.
Learn more how customers reviews work on AmazonCustomers say
Customers praise the book's brilliant illustrations, with one noting the artist's willingness to take risks with the artwork. The storyline receives positive feedback for its mesmerizing nature and magical twist at the end. Customers appreciate the text quality, with one highlighting its re-readability.
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Customers praise the book's illustrations, describing them as brilliant and beautifully detailed, with one customer noting the artist's willingness to take creative risks.
"This book is so wonderful. It has amazing black and white illustrations that make you feel like you're in the story...." Read more
"...Van Allsburg's black and white illustrations are richly drawn and this story, like so many of his others, is macabre without being too frightening..." Read more
"...Following the dog...'nuf sed. If you appreciate great art in children's books, combined with masterful storytelling, check out Van Allsburg's work...." Read more
"Absolutely charming story. The illustrations are magical in and of themselves...." Read more
Customers enjoy the storyline of this book, describing it as a mesmerizing and mysterious adventure with a magical twist at the end.
"...And the story itself piques your imagination and leaves you wondering in the best way...." Read more
"I purchased this book for my class of 5th/sixth graders. They loved the ending and have started using the Gazazi name." Read more
"...turns and winds up showing us that perhaps, just perhaps, magic does indeed exist. Wonderful to spark the imagination of young children...." Read more
"...His illustrations are hypnotic and mysterious and that's what drew them to me as a kid who loved mysteries and "scary" stories...." Read more
Customers appreciate the text quality of the book, with one customer noting it has more words than typical picture books, and another mentioning its simple yet impactful language.
"...Wonderful to spark the imagination of young children. Written simply but with direct and impactful language...." Read more
"...They make for great talks and speculation on alternate outcomes, show outstanding art, and are overall really wonderful!" Read more
"Picture book with more text than most...." Read more
"...Lot's of re-readability, like all his books." Read more
Reviews with images

Minor factory defect.
Top reviews from the United States
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- Reviewed in the United States on April 12, 2021This book is so wonderful. It has amazing black and white illustrations that make you feel like you're in the story. And the story itself piques your imagination and leaves you wondering in the best way. The cleverness may have been lost on my four year old but he still loved it.
- Reviewed in the United States on December 25, 2024So, I got this book today. But when I opened it up it was upside down and backwards. No big deal the dust cover was just put on wrong. So, I take off the dust cover and put it on to match the hard cover. But the problem persisted. It wasn’t the dust cover that was put in wrong it was the insides! The dust cover matched the hard cover!
Still not a big deal, but some people might be unhappy.
5.0 out of 5 starsSo, I got this book today. But when I opened it up it was upside down and backwards. No big deal the dust cover was just put on wrong. So, I take off the dust cover and put it on to match the hard cover. But the problem persisted. It wasn’t the dust cover that was put in wrong it was the insides! The dust cover matched the hard cover!Minor factory defect.
Reviewed in the United States on December 25, 2024
Still not a big deal, but some people might be unhappy.
Images in this review
- Reviewed in the United States on April 24, 2015This was the first Chris Van Allsburg book we discovered, so many years ago that our kids now have nearly-grown children of their own. We love to share it with our friends. Van Allsburg's black and white illustrations are richly drawn and this story, like so many of his others, is macabre without being too frightening for young children. It involves a little boy, a dog and a magician, who may (or may not) have the ability to do transformative tricks. Once we read this one we were hooked. We've sought out Van Allsburg books ever since and we've never been disappointed. He's willing to take risks with his illustrations. His pencil work is terrific, but that doesn't stop him from trying pen-and-ink in "Two Bad Ants," or what's probably gouache in "Polar Express." Enjoy, savor and hope for more books to come.
- Reviewed in the United States on October 14, 2022I purchased this book for my class of 5th/sixth graders. They loved the ending and have started using the Gazazi name.
- Reviewed in the United States on November 30, 2012I am a Chris Van Allsburg fan, have been since my now in their 20's kids were infants. The Garden of Abdul Gasazi might be my favorite. The pencil drawings are magnificent, so richly textured, subtle and powerful. The tale itself mesmerized my children; you always step into a realistic-sounding fantasy before you know you've crossed that threshold. A joy for the adult reading to the child, as well as for the child who enters this world. Following the dog...'nuf sed. If you appreciate great art in children's books, combined with masterful storytelling, check out Van Allsburg's work. This black and white venture rates 5 stars.
- Reviewed in the United States on February 27, 2015Absolutely charming story. The illustrations are magical in and of themselves. This story is ostensibly about a boy who is charged with taking care of a neighbor's dog. However, the story takes some clever turns and winds up showing us that perhaps, just perhaps, magic does indeed exist. Wonderful to spark the imagination of young children. Written simply but with direct and impactful language. A recommendation for anyone's library; child or adult.
- Reviewed in the United States on August 19, 2015Chris Van Allsburg wrote and illustrated many of my favorite picture books as a child, so when I had my own baby I ordered a few of my favorites. His illustrations are hypnotic and mysterious and that's what drew them to me as a kid who loved mysteries and "scary" stories. This story tells a great tale of a magician who turns a boy's dog into a bird (or does he?). This book still seems like a timeless classic so I would highly recommend it for any young child's (or whimsical adult's) library.
- Reviewed in the United States on September 18, 2016What a terrific book! The illustrations are the best! They are simply done in graphite (??), but the black and white format shows the author/illustrator's mastery of the medium and his great talent in drawing. It is a book I would recommend for art students because of the visuals and a very entertaining story for children. It also ends with a little twist that can offer the adult and child an opportunity to discuss the book and the child's understanding of the tale.
Top reviews from other countries
- huston.canReviewed in Canada on February 12, 2021
5.0 out of 5 stars Beautiful book
I love this book. The whole package is a work of art
- ArjunReviewed in the United Kingdom on March 31, 2016
5.0 out of 5 stars The work of a true master in art. Perhaps ...
The work of a true master in art. Perhaps not the most powerful story but that's not the point of why this book deserves the highest praise.
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Screwface2478Reviewed in France on November 23, 2015
5.0 out of 5 stars Magique
Les illustrations sont incroyables, on pourrait littéralement rentrer à l'interieur du livre et se perdre dans les jardins du magicien. Ce livre me fascinait quand j'etais enfant, un melange d'aventure, de poésie et même de peur. Quelques dizaines d'années plus tard je suis toujours emerveillé...et mes enfants aussi !
- AtharvaReviewed in India on May 11, 2021
4.0 out of 5 stars Exceptional illustations
A cute story, exceptional illustrations by Allsburg. Me and my son both loved it.
- Unga BungaReviewed in the United Kingdom on April 29, 2016
5.0 out of 5 stars Highly recommend
Goods as described. Fast shipping. Highly recommend