Van Dusen, Chris (1960 - )

Genre: Children's Literature, Illustrator

Born in Portland, Maine, Van Dusen grew up in central Massachusetts. He returned to Maine in 1985 and lives in Camden.

He studied painting and illustration at the University of Massachusetts at Dartmouth, graduating in 1982 with a BFA, after which he was an art director and cartoon editor of a magazine for teenagers. He's done illustration work for L.L. Bean, Maine Healthy Beaches Program, and Ringling Bros. and Barnum and Bailey Circus, among others, and was profiled in the May 2003 issue of DownEast Magazine.

Selected Bibliography

Written and illustrated

  • Down to the Sea with Mr. Magee (2000)
  • A Camping Spree with Mr. Magee (2003)
  • If I Built a Car (2005)
  • The Circus Ship (2009) Lupine winner
  • Randy Riley's Really Big Hit (2012)
  • If I built a House (2012) winner, 2013 New England Book Award for Children's book

Illustrated

Kate DiCamillo's Mercy Watson series:

  • Mercy Watson to the Rescue (2005)
  • Mercy Watson Goes for a Ride (2006)
  • Mercy Watson Fights Crime
  • Mercy Watson: Princess in Disguise (2007)
  • Mercy Watson Thinks Like a Pig (2008)

Selected Links

Chris van Dusen's website