Order of Book Series
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Chris Van Dusen Books in Order

Chris Van Dusen has written 12 books, published between 2000 and 2025. The first book is Down to the Sea with Mr. Magee (2000) and the newest is If I Built a Town (2025). Publication order is the reading order below.

Books
12
Published
2000–2025
Pages on record
283 in 5 of 12 books
See all 12 books in order Printable Chris Van Dusen checklist

Chris Van Dusen is an American author and illustrator of picture books, born in 1960, and writes in rhyme. Down to the Sea with Mr. Magee (2000) opens a catalogue of 12 titles that reaches If I Built a Town (2025). Mr. Magee carries one series, the If I Built... books another: a car (2005), a house (2012), a school (2019), a town (2025). The Circus Ship (2009), King Hugo's Huge Ego (2011) and Hattie & Hudson (2017) sit outside the series. Van Dusen has also illustrated the Mercy Watson books by Kate DiCamillo.

How many Chris Van Dusen books are there?

Chris Van Dusen has 12 books, released between 2000 and 2025. They include 2 series and 5 titles listed outside any series.

Chris Van Dusen Books in Publication Order

The table lists all 12 Chris Van Dusen books in the order they were published, with the release year, the page count where one is on record, and how many independent book listings confirm each title. Catalogue data as of September 2026.

  1. Cover of Down to the Sea with Mr. Magee by Chris Van Dusen, book 1 of the Mr. Magee series (2000)
  2. Cover of A Camping Spree with Mr. Magee by Chris Van Dusen, book 2 of the Mr. Magee series (2003)
  3. Cover of If I Built a Car by Chris Van Dusen, book 1 of the If I Built ... series (2005)
  4. Cover of The Circus Ship by Chris Van Dusen (2009)
  5. Cover of Learning to Ski with Mr. Magee by Chris Van Dusen, book 3 of the Mr. Magee series (2010)
  6. Cover of King Hugo's Huge Ego by Chris Van Dusen (2011)
  7. Cover of If I Built a House by Chris Van Dusen, book 2 of the If I Built ... series (2012)
  8. Cover of Randy Riley's Really Big Hit by Chris Van Dusen (2012)
  9. Cover of If I Built a School by Chris Van Dusen, book 3 of the If I Built ... series (2019)
  10. Cover of Big Truck, Little Island by Chris Van Dusen (2022)
  11. Cover of If I Built a Town by Chris Van Dusen, book 4 of the If I Built ... series (2025)
  1. 1
    Down to the Sea with Mr. MageeMr. Magee #12000 · 36 pages · confirmed 1/4
    200036
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  2. 2
    A Camping Spree with Mr. MageeMr. Magee #22003 · confirmed 2/4
    2003–
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  3. 3
    If I Built a CarIf I Built ... #12005 · 131 pages · confirmed 1/4
    2005131
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  4. 4
    The Circus Ship2009 · 40 pages · confirmed 1/4
    200940
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  5. 5
    Learning to Ski with Mr. MageeMr. Magee #32010 · 36 pages · confirmed 1/4
    201036
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  6. 6
    King Hugo's Huge Ego2011 · confirmed 1/4
    2011–
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  7. 7
    If I Built a HouseIf I Built ... #22012 · confirmed 1/4
    2012–
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  8. 8
    Randy Riley's Really Big Hit2012 · confirmed 1/4
    2012–
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  9. 9
    Hattie & Hudson2017 · confirmed 1/4
    2017–
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  10. 10
    If I Built a SchoolIf I Built ... #32019 · confirmed 1/4
    2019–
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  11. 11
    Big Truck, Little Island2022 · confirmed 1/4
    2022–
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  12. 12
    If I Built a TownIf I Built ... #42025 · 40 pages · confirmed 1/4
    202540
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK

Chris Van Dusen books grouped by series

Each title below is a row in the publication-order table above. None of these groups has a reading-order page of its own on this site.

If I Built ... in order

4 books
  1. 1. If I Built a Car
  2. 2. If I Built a House
  3. 3. If I Built a School
  4. 4. If I Built a Town

Mr. Magee in order

3 books
  1. 1. Down to the Sea with Mr. Magee
  2. 2. A Camping Spree with Mr. Magee
  3. 3. Learning to Ski with Mr. Magee

Standalone books

5 books

5 Chris Van Dusen titles here are not listed as part of any series.

Do you have to read Chris Van Dusen books in order?

You only need to read Chris Van Dusen books in order within each series: the books listed here span 2 separate series, and each series has its own publication order.

Where to start with Chris Van Dusen

Start with Down to the Sea with Mr. Magee (2000), the earliest published title.

What is the newest Chris Van Dusen book?

If I Built a Town (2025) is the newest Chris Van Dusen book released so far.

Is there a new Chris Van Dusen book coming?

No next Chris Van Dusen book is announced in the catalogue, which is a gap in the listings it merges rather than a sign that the run has ended.

Awards Chris Van Dusen has won

Wikidata records 1 award for Chris Van Dusen. Each row states whether the title won or was shortlisted, and the year the award was given.

  • E. B. White Read Aloud Award for Picture Books2006Won

Chris Van Dusen at a glance

Still publishing
Chris Van Dusen published a book as recently as 2025.
Release pace
Chris Van Dusen books have appeared about one every 2 years on average.
Length
283 pages across the 5 of 12 books with a recorded length, a median of 40 pages each.
Busiest decade
Most Chris Van Dusen books, 6 of 12, were published in the 2010s.

What the Chris Van Dusen books are about

10 of the 12 Chris Van Dusen books carry subject tags in Open Library's catalogue. The subjects below are the ones that recur across them, most frequent first: stories in rhyme is tagged on 9 of 10. The subjects are cataloguers’ headings, not a plot summary.