Independent Reading Level: Grades 3-4

Awards: None Found

Like many Chris Van Allsburg books- I’m not sure what I read.

Intentionally dreamy and surreal this book takes you on a ship through the sky that crashes back to shore. Its more like an art book that is narrated than it is a narration that is illustrated. ( )

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Contains Guidance On:

Book Summary
Special Features
Find Fritz
Summary of Teaching Ideas
Guiding Questions for a Wreck of the Zephyr Read-Aloud
Strengthening our Descriptions for the Setting by Adding Details About the Weather
Decide for Yourself: Dealing with Ambiguity in Books We Read
Just For Fun

• New York Times Best Illustrated
Children's Book of the Year
• ALA Notable Book for Children
• Booklist Editors' Choice
• IRA Teachers' Choice
"The full-color pastel drawings are the
work of a master: stunning, luminescent,
and conveying a sense of the mystical and
magical." — Publishers Weekly

At the edge of a cliff lies the wreck of a small sailboat. How did it get there? "Waves carried it up in a storm," says an old sailor. But is it possible that waves could ever get that high?

There is another story -- the story of a boy and his obsessive desire to be the greatest sailor, the story of a storm that carried the boy and his boat to a place where boats glide like gulls high above the water and not upon it.

Chris Van Allsburg tells that story of the boy and his boat, the Zephyr, in words and haunting, full-color pastel paintings. His sailboats sail the night sky with the stars in pictures so vivid that the reader can almost hear the wind in the sails. Here is a work of unusual artistry that will enchant readers of all ages for many years to come.

In my opinion, The Wreck of Zephyr, is a good book. First, the point of view is told by the person that "flew too close to the sun" in the book and is telling a boy who questioned the crashed boat on land so far from the water. You end up getting to see both sides of the "greatest sailor," seeing the reality of the old man. Also, the illustrations enhance the surreal and amazing idea that the old man once sailed his boat in the sky and crashed it so far inland. The big idea of the story is to be careful of your ambition and pride the outcome might not be what you want. ( )

A ship found wrecked atop a cliff high above the sea is said to have been carried there by waves during a storm, but is there more to the story? ( )

This imaginative story with vivid illustrations could be used in countless ways, including core academics and STEAM learning. From coordinates and mapping to weather to multi-dimensional storytelling, this mystical tale is rich with possibilities for the classroom. The author’s website offers a teacher’s guide (http://www.polarexpress.com/wreck-zephyr-teachers-guide) packed with ideas and resources. Some other sites worth checking out include Lesson Planet (http://www.lessonplanet.com/search?keywords=the%20wreck%20of%20the%20zephyr), and Pinterest (https://www.pinterest.com/search/pins/?q=lesson%20Wreck%20of%20the%20Zephyr%20Allsburg&rs=typed&0=lesson%20Wreck%20of%20the%20Zephyr%20Allsburg|typed) which will lead you to endless ideas. ( )

"The Wreck of Zephyr" is an interesting tale that left me a bit uneasy. It tells the story of a boy, who wanted to be the greatest sailor in the world, that decided to sail during an intense storm that washed him up to a place where boats "float" in the air. After much hard work with locals who sail their boats in the air regularly, the boy doesn't think he can do it - until he finally does - and flies higher than any sailor has flown before. This reaffirms that he was truly the greatest sailor of all. However, the wind shifted and the boat crashed into the ground and still remains there to the present day. I often found myself rereading certain pages because the language was sometimes complex; one must be familiar with sailing terms before reading this book. I appreciate the concept of the story but it overall came off odd to me, especially at the end when the Zephyr (his boat) crashed. One would think he would sail off into the night sky with complete control of his sailboat. The illustrations were beautiful - almost haunting - and I think it adds to the darker, mysterious undertones the book possesses. I think "Zephyr" would translate better as a movie than a book because the events are so complex to be easily understood by children in print. In addition, I appreciated that the story was told through an old man to the narrator that, at the end of the book, implies that he is actually the sailor. "The old man looked up. 'wind coming,' he said. 'I've got some sailing to do.' He picked up a cane and I watched as he limped slowly toward the harbor.'" This is another recurring open ending that is common throughout Van Allsburg's work. I could see this being used in a lesson about making inferences. All in all, I found it to be an interesting story that would appeal to those that enjoy whimsical mysteries. ( )

The genre of this book is modern fantasy. The story opens with the author finding an old, abandoned ship on an island, with an old man sitting nearby. The man begins to tell the strange story of a haughty boy who fancied himself the best sailor of all, and traveled to a distant land on his ship, the Zephyr, to a place where fisherman could make their ships fly. At the end of the day, the boy manages to fly his ship back to his hometown, but can't resist the urge to try to ring the church bells as a boast. As a result, the Zephyr begins to fall, the townspeople never believe him again, and the boy breaks his leg. After the story is told, the author notices that the old man walks away with a limp, hinting that he is, in fact, the boy from the story. This book would be appropriate for 3rd or 4th graders. ( )

How did a sailboat get stranded on a high cliff? One explanation is that high waves carried it there, but this is Chris Van Allsburg, so of course there is another explanation.

Reminded me a bit of David Wiesner's Tuesday. ( )

I love how Allsburg uses magic in every story. I saw the dog again! ( )

This is a great to read to kids because it expresses the art of storytelling. The art is that the simplest truth can always seem like the greatest lie. ( )

Classic Chris Van Allsburg: beautiful pictures, fantastic story, twist ending. ( )

Enjoyed the seaside/ocean story setting, as well as the illustrations! ( )

A young man stumbles upon a wrecked ship and a man who tells the story of its existence. The story goes that a young man was an incredible sailor and took his boat out in the middle of a storm, he woke up in a strange town where boats could fly. He wanted so badly to learn how to fly his boat. After being taught, the flew his boat back home, but crashed it in some trees. The boat still lays wrecked on the side of the water today, and many people stumble upon it still. ( )

What if ships floated and flew instead of sailing? Chris Van Allsburg is a master of taking the "What if?" questions of children and making them magically appear in picture. His gift is in limiting how many words he uses to create stories and this book is no exception. So...what would happen if....a boat was found higher than any body of water could wreck it?

This book is about an older man who shares a story about a little boy and his sailing adventures. He tells the little boy about how he came to getting his boat to fly and why the boat is the where it is now. ( )

Summary: One day a man visits an island and finds a boat crashed high on a cliff. He sees a man there and asks him the story. The man proceeds to tell him the story about how a young boy thought he was the best sailor in the world. He was overconfident and got caught in a storm that sent him and his ship ashore to a new island.Where he met a village that taught him to fly his boat. He then believed that he was the best sailor in the world, to prove this he flew his boat over his village and because of the bad wind found above land he crashed his boat. After the story the visiting man realized that the one telling him the story was indeed the same boy.
Genre: Fantasy
This is an example of fantasy because while flying boats are not possible the author makes this an interesting and believable read.
Point of View: 3rd person
There is a man narrating this story, telling the visitor about the story of the boy who thought he was the best sailor in the world.
Media: water color, paint,

A younger gentleman is on a walk and comes across an older man and a wrecked sail boat. The older man shares the story about how he believes the sail boat was left wrecked in the cliffs. It is a book that keeps your attention with the story itself and illustrations. It is appropriate for 3 - 6 graders.

www.chrisvanallsburg.com

Interesting ending! ( )

This is one of my favorites of Van Allsburg's weird tales. It feels timeless and the pictures of the flying ship are enchanting. For older children this would make a good storytime choice. ( )

very interesting book, with interesting illustrations, a boy is a terrific sailor who learns supernatural techniques of flying. The reader then finds out that the narrarator is the boy who crashed the Zephyr. ( )

The Wreck of the Zephyr is about a boy and his boat the Zephyr. This boy lives in a harbor and is considered the best sailor in the land. He goes out in best of weather and worst of weather. One day he goes out in some bad weather and gets hurt. When he wakes up his boat is on the beach and he has no idea where he is. What he finds on that island will ultimately make him the best sailor ever. Awesome book as always from Van Allsburg.

As a student I loved the story in general. I found myself bare looking at the pictures and imagining what was happening in my head. I also liked how it was written, vintage Van Allsburg. He keeps you hanging on a string the throughout the whole story and then leaves you out there at the end.

From a teaching point of view this is a book that would touch the minds of my students, especially if I am reading it to them. It is a great book to have my students read. Chris Van Allsburg is great at showing the reader not telling the reader what is happening in the story. Highly Recommended!!! ( )

Critique:
Genre: This book contains a realistic character who has a dream of sailing and does everything in his power to satisfy that desire. This could easily happen to anyone. The setting is also very real and could occur in a world like this one. The contradictory, unrealistic thing about the story is the idea that the boy can fly the boat over land, even though it eventually lands in some trees.
Setting: The majority of the setting of this story takes place in the sea because it is about sailing. It is not specific enough as to where the seas or land are, but general enough that the sailing could probably take place on any sea. The setting also includes the beaches that the boy lands on. The setting is very important to the story because without the seas, the boats would have no place to sail.
Media: acrylic ( )