Who is this Harris Burdick guy???

http://www.chrisvanallsburg.com/flash.html

http://www.hmhbooks.com/features/harrisburdick/

The Mysteries of Harris Burdick

by Chris Van Allsburg (1984)

Ah-ha, so that is who this "Harris Burdick" guy is!  Don't know how this one slipped under the radar, we're big Jumanji fans around here, but now that my new best friend amazon.com has dropped off another package I am wiser.  And ready for our next creative writing lesson!