Polar+Express


 * __ THE POLAR EXPRESS __**

The Polar Express by Chris van Allsburg



Review by Lieve Bonacci

Bibliographic Data
 * Title: The Polar Express
 * Author: Chris van Allsburg
 * Reading Level: 4-5th grade
 * Hardcover 30 pages
 * Publisher: Houghton Mifflin Company, Boston
 * Language: English
 * ISBN: 0-395-38949-6

__Summary__ One Christmas Eve a magical train stops in front of a young boy’s house. He boards the train and he discovers there are other children on the train, all in their pajamas. The train is on its way to the North Pole, where they will witness Santa handing out the first gift of Christmas. The little boy is chosen to receive this first gift. He chooses a silver bell from Santa’s sleigh. Once the boy is back on the train, heading home, he finds that he has lost the bell. On Christmas morning the boy and his sister open gifts and among them is a little box, with the boy’s name on it. In it is the silver bell from Santa’s sleigh. It made the most beautiful sound the boy and his sister had ever heard, yet their mother could not hear it. Only people who truly believe can hear the beautiful sound of the silver bell.

__Book review__ This book has been a classic in our house, when my children were growing up. It transports the reader to another place, a place of dreams and innocence, where everything is possible if you only believe! The book celebrates the innocence of children, who believe in their dreams. Although the text is beautifully written, I do not enjoy the illustrations, for I think they are too dark and somehow scary. However, I believe that that is what draws the reader into the book. The book might not have had the same pull had the pictures been happy ones.

__Author__ Chris van Allsburg was born in Grand Rapids, Michigan in 1949. He has written and illustrated 19 books. Chris is the winner of two Caldecott Medals, for //Jumanji// and //The Polar Express.// Additionally, he received the Boston Globe Honor for //The Polar Express//. Chris has also been awarded the Regina Medal for lifetime achievement in children's literature. In 1982, //Jumanji// won the National Book Award for Book Illustration and in 1996, it was made into a popular feature film, starring Robin Williams. Chris is married and has two children. He lives north of Boston and loves to bike, play tennis, and entertain his children while playing the recorder through his nose.

__Literary Element Analysis__ Chris van Allsburg weaves his story around the belief children have in the magic of Christmas. We journey along with the little boy on the magical train, along with other children in their pajamas. The magical train stops on the North Pole and the children see hundreds of elves waiting for Santa Claus. When Santa gives the boy a silver bell from his sleigh he puts it in his pocket. Once on the train on their way back home, the boy finds that he lost the bell. This bell represents the magic of Christmas, and losing it would mean losing this magic. On Christmas morning there is one last package under the tree for the little boy. It is the little silver bell from Santa’s sleigh, and the little boy and his sister think it makes the most beautiful sound in the world. Chris van Allsburg drives his point of believing in the magic of Christmas home, when he points out that the boy’s mother cannot hear the bell, and she believes it to be broken, therefore not believing in the magic anymore