The Polar Express

 Van Allsburg, Chris.  The Polar Express.  Boston, M.A.:  Houghton Mifflin, 1985.  

The Polar Express is a beautiful fantasy of a young boy's trip to the North Pole on Christmas Eve.  Once he arrives Santa selects him out of many children to receive the first gift of Christmas.  The boy chooses a silver bell from Santa's sleigh.  On the way home he realizes he has lost the bell through a hole in his pocket.  The next morning however, it is wrapped and under the tree with a note from Santa.

The Polar Express is told through the boy's point of view in the first person which adds to the story's theme of faith and belief. Most of the story occurs on the train with time spent at the North Pole and the boy's house as well.

The illustrations in The Polar Express earned it a Caldecott Medal in 1986 and make the story captivating and somewhat majestic. Van Allsburg uses color and texture to provide unbelievably realistic contrast of warmth and cold that brings the winter season to life. With each picture taking up almost two pages it is not hard for the reader to get lost in the imagery.  This story is recommend for ages 4-8, but Van Allsburg himself says that all his stories are intended for readers of any age.