Ben's Dream by Chris Van Allsburg

Who says a story needs words?  Only five out of the thirty-one pages of Ben’s Dream by Chris Van Allsburg contain words.  Yet, there is a world of story contained in this book, literally a world.  The main character, Ben, falls asleep while attempting to study for his geography test about great landmarks of the world.  He dreams about an adventure in which he tours great land marks of the world, including the Leaning Tower of Piza, the Taj Mahal, and Mount Rushmore.  As with many Van Allsburg books, the characters, and readers, are left wondering if what they experienced was real or not.  For this story, the illustrations carry most of the story and they do not disappoint!  A wide variety of perspectives are taken making the reader feel like they are being propelled through space and time.  What a ride!
            Ben’s Dream is an obvious pick to be used for teaching geography and great landmarks.  Because the drawings are from different perspectives, students would have fun guessing the name of the landmark being depicted.  Teachers could also assign groups of students to research the one of the landmarks in the picture and report back to the class.  The book also lends itself to creative writing opportunities, such as having the students create their own adventure story about a tour of great landmarks of their choosing.  Some children may have visited some of these places in the past, and thus, teachable moments would arise naturally as children shared their experiences.
Year Published: 1982          Awards: