The Polar Express

The Polar Express, Chris Van Allsburg, Chris Van Allsburg, 1986

Setting: The book first starts out at the little boy's home. Next, it takes place on the Polar Express which then arrives at the North Pole. Then, it moves back to the Polar Express, and finally, back to the boy's home.

Plot: Late one Christmas Eve, the little boy boards The Polar Express bound for the North Pole. The train travels thought forests, the mountains, and snow-covered hills before it finally reaches the North Pole. Santa chooses the little boy to receive they first gift, and he chooses one of the sleigh bells because his friend told him that he would never hear the sound of it. But once the boy returned to the Polar Express, he realized that he had a hole in the pocket of his robe and had lost the bell. He was very upset, but on Christmas morning he was opening gifts and the last gift that he opened was the silver bell. He shook the bell but his mother told him that it was broken, but only believers can hear it jingle.

Illustrations: Chris Van Allsburg did a wonderful job of illustrating the book The Polar Express. The pictures are large and bold and look as though they were taken from a movie screen. In fact, the characters seem to come to life and look like they might jump right off the page into reality.

What I liked: I loved this book. It made me feel like a child again. The pictures brought the story to life. This book would require children to use their imaginations, and I believe that they would enjoy it very much.