The
Garden of Abdul Gasazi
by Chris Van Allsburg
Navigator Developer:
Ruth Beeler
Questions
Activities
Books and Internet Sites
About
the Book
The Garden
of Abdul Gasazi tells the story of a boy named Alan Mitz who agrees
to watch a temperamental dog named Fritz for a day, while Fritz's
owner is out. While taking Fritz for his afternoon walk, Alan loses
control of him, and the dog runs into a magician's forbidden garden.
Alan chases Fritz, but when he encounters obstacle upon magical obstacle,
he fails to retrieve the dog and returns to the owner's house empty-handed.
He is ready to accept responsibility for the loss, but a strange turn
of events makes him think differently about what happened that day.
NOTE:
Page numbers used in this Navigator refer to the hardcover Houghton
Mifflin Company edition of the text, ISBN: 0-395-27804-X
Questions
about the book
While
you read
• Why do you think
dogs are not allowed in the garden? (p. 8)
• How can Fritz "bark with laughter"? (p. 10)
• Why are the words "I TURN THEM INTO DUCKS!" in
capital letters? (p. 20)
• What does it mean to have a heavy heart? (p. 24)
• Do you think Alan or Miss Hester was correct about what
happened to Fritz? (p. 28)
•
How does Chris Van Allsburg use illustration to help readers understand
the events and setting? Are there things the illustrations tell us
that the writing does not? How do the illustrations change to help
readers understand the story's events and the story’s mood?
• Do you think the story occurs in the country, a town, or a
city? Why do you think so?
• How important is the setting to the plot? Do you think it
could be set anywhere?
• Why do you think Gasazi turned the dogs into ducks, rather
than some other animal or inanimate object?
•
What kind of boy is Alan Mitz? How does his character impact his decisions
throughout the book?
• Compare Alan Mitz's character to that of Fritz's. How do their
differences create problems in the story and make the story interesting?
• Do any of the characters change by the end of the story? Who
changes? How and why do they change?
• What would happen in a meeting between Abdul Gasazi and Miss
Hester?
•
Which characters knew the whole truth at the end of the story? What
can we learn about truth from the story?
• What do you think Chris Van Allsburg wanted readers to learn
about magic from the story?
• What does the story demonstrate about character? Does it change?
Do circumstances affect it?
• What is the main problem in the story? How is it resolved?
What can we learn about problems from the story?
• Have you ever
prepared for a difficult situation like Alan prepared for watching
Fritz? What was the occasion? How did you prepare? Were your preparations
successful?
• Gasazi turned his problem dogs into ducks. Do you ever encounter
problems you wish you could magically turn into something else in
order to rid yourself of them? Describe the problem and how you
would use magic to solve it.
• Have you ever persisted after something like Alan persisted
in his search for Fritz? Compare your experience with that of Alan's.
• Did you relate more to Alan's or Fritz's character? In what
ways did you relate?
-
Complete
a Literature Web about the book. Fill in your responses
to each of the bubbles using the questions as a guide. Link
to the Literature Web.
- Write a persuasive paragraph
about why Alan Mitz should or should not agree to watch Fritz again.
Use evidence from the story to support your reasons. Use the Hamburger
Model as a guide for your writing, and follow the steps of
the writing process (prewrite, draft, revise and proofread, publish).
Link
to the Hamburger Model.
- There are many ways to
tell a story. Choose one of the following to retell The Garden
of Abdul Gasazi.
• Write it as
a play. Keep in mind the dialog creates the story, so be sure to
include rich conversation. Also include a description of each setting
as would be seen on stage.
• Shorten the story and write it as a fable. What would be
the lesson to be learned?
• Write the story as a cartoon. Consider how cartoons focus
on the characters and often emphasize humorous aspects. Be sure
to illustrate. Feel free to redraw the characters.
-
Alan Mitz
takes a job dogsitting. Find out about two or three dogsitting options
in your area. Write a paper in which you describe them. Be sure
to include costs, type of accommodations, and other items included
with the service. Then make an argument for the best option. Give
a copy of your paper to two or three people you know who have dogs.
Make a copy available for your class.
-
Read another
book by Chris Van Allsburg. Compare and contrast the two books'
characters, settings, plots and lessons. Choose one of the following
for this exercise:
- Make Venn diagrams
that compare two of the following from each book: characters,
settings, plots, lessons, illustrations.
-
Write a dialog that occurs between two characters, one from
each book, with each character arguing the superior aspects
of his/her own book.
Return to the Top
of the Page
Books
and Internet sites
Some
Other Books You Might Enjoy
Becker, Bonny.
The Christmas Crocodile.
Blume, Judy. Freckle Juice.
George, Jean Craighead. Incredible Animal Adventures.
Shannon, George. Climbing Kansas Mountain.
Yorinks, Arthur. Hey, Al.
Van Allsburg, Chris. Jumanji.
Van Allsburg, Chris. The Polar Express.
Julie’s Pooch Pad
(good for exploring what is possible in a petsitting service)
Both of these
sites are excellent to explore some possibilities and options for dog
training.
Mountainview
Dogs
Man’s
Best Friend Professional Dog Training
Merriam-Webster Dictionary
Glossary of Literary Terms
About Chris Van Allsburg
by another student
Webquest for an author
study on Chris Van Allsburg
Center for Gifted Education
The College of William and Mary
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