Children's Book Produced as Feature Film #1

The Polar Express

by Chris Van Allsburg

I actually saw the movie before I knew about and read this story. I loved the movie, so I wanted to read the book to my students. I think Chris Van Allsburg is a brilliant author and illustrator. I really enjoyed Jumanji as well.

The Polar Express is a magical story about a little boy who goes on a journey to the North Pole on Christmas Eve on a train, the Polar Express. The pictures have a dream-like quality. I find the language used throughout the story captivating. I especially like the pictures of the mountains and the text that says, "We climbed mountains so high it seemed as if we would scrape the moon." I think the way the author chooses his words and writes his story is important to the overall charm of the book and keeps the reader engaged. The little boy finds himself at the North Pole where he sees hundreds of elves and meets Santa Claus. The little boy is chosen by Santa to receive the "first gift of Christmas." The little boy asks for a silver bell from Santa's sleigh. Santa gives the boy the bell, but the boy later discovers that the bell has fallen through a hole in his robe pocket and has been lost. My favorite part of the story is when the boy discovers the bell wrapped under the tree with a note from Santa the next morning. The boy and his sister shake the bell and hear a wonderful sound, but the parents can't hear the bell. They think it is broken. The last sentence (and my favorite) in the book is "...the bell still rings for me as it does for all who truly believe."

Christmas is my favorite time of year and this story reminds me of all the magical Christmas mornings when my siblings and I found presents under our tree from Santa. This book is a classic that I will read each year as a way to remember these special times.