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Summary: A story about the first gift of the Christmas season
Review: Chris Van Allsburg's "The Polar Express" tells the simple tale of boy who has been told by a friend "There's no Santa." However, the boy knows this is wrong, which may explain why the Polar Express shows up outside his house that night to take him to the North Pole. In the giant factory city where all the toys are made for Christmas, the elves will all gather and Santa will give to one of the children on the train the first gift of the Christmas season. "The Polar Express" is a simple tale of the power of belief, told through exquisite pastel drawings that make a steam locomotive seem a soft vision of light in the gently falling snow. This is a modern Yule time classic, which teaches a simple lesson: always fix a hole in your pocket.
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Summary: my favourite christmas story
Review: I discovered this story only a few years ago, but it is far and away my favourite christmas story. The illustrations are beautiful and the story never fails to make me cry - perhaps I'm soppy, or perhaps its just a great story. Never stop believing.
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Summary: The Polar Express
Review: Enchanting from beginning to end. Allsburg's beautiful illustrations and wonderfully told story makes this book a must have. Children and adults everywhere will believe in the magic.
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Summary: I did not get the "magial" feeling
Review: This is going to be short. It is not what I expected. It's not special like "Twas the Night Before Christmas" where you feel wonder and anticipation. This story is just plain and average. I am including this review to compensate for the overestimated rankings given to this book in this web site (and by the way convinced me to purchase it). In my opinion, unlike "Twas the Night Before Christmas" you don't have to have this book added to your collection of special Christmas stories.
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Summary: Do You Believe in Santa? Ting-a-Ling!
Review: Reading to your child is good for both of you. The experience strengthens your bond. Your example also helps your child to learn to read. Pick a good book, and you will have enriched your child's life in ways that would not otherwise be possible. Reading The Polar Express aloud is a good opportunity to accomplish these worthwhile results. This delightful Christmas story raises a challenging question for parents: For whom is this book appropriate? The text suggests that some children and parents (and almost all people as they get older) don't believe in Santa. In addition, the story is filled with things parents tell their children never to do when parents are not around (such as take a ride with strangers, eat food and drink beverages from strangers, and accept gifts from strangers). If you decide to read the story to a very wee one, you should also be prepared for the possibility that your child might be frightened by the idea that all of this commotion can happen on Christmas Eve near your house. My conclusion is that the optimum time to read this story is the first time you become aware that your child is a little confused or skeptical about Santa. This often occurs after seeing the 17th Santa in a mall or store during the same shopping trip. You could use the multiplicity of Santas to explain why some children and adults are skeptical about these Santa's helpers. Obviously, we all know that Santa is really busy at the North Pole. I suggest that you handle the "unapproved" behavior by asking your child if she or he should do these things, and reinforce the proper lessons. The story itself centers on faith. A man remembers one Christmas Eve. The Polar Express pulls up in front of his house when he was a boy and a conductor invited him on board for a trip to the North Pole. During a mystical trip with a train full of children, the boy learned that one of the children will be selected by Santa to receive the very first gift of that Christmas. The boy was chosen, and wanted a silver bell from Santa's sleigh. Santa was delighted to provide it . . . and roared off in the sleigh to deliver toys to all the good little boys and girls. The boy discovered he'd lost the bell, and was sad. "It broke my heart to lose the bell." The Polar Express brought him home before dawn. The next morning, he discovered one final present with his name on it. It was the bell! Santa had attached a note, "Found this on the seat of my sleigh. Fix that hole in your pocket." The bell "made the most beautiful sound my sister and I had ever heard." "When I'd shaken the bell, my parents had not heard a sound." "At one time most of my friends could hear the bell, but as years passed, it fell silent for all of them." "Though I've grown older, the bell still rings for me as it does for all who truly believe." I still believe in Santa . . . don't you? The Polar Express won the 1986 Caldecott Medal for its outstanding illustrations. These images appear to be a combination of gouache and pastels that create a mysterious, dreamlike feeling in me. They are not the same as a dream though, more like being half-awake in the middle of the night on an overnight train trip and still being a little into a dream. Each image is spread across almost all of a two-page spread with a little text to the side. If you child holds the book close to her or his face, it will be easy to join into the scene. Live with faith in the true spirit of Christmas every day!
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Summary: Absolutely Enchanting!
Review: This book is one of the most magical children's books I have ever come across! As soon as you open the front cover, you enter an exquisite world that has an almost dream-like quality to it. It is told in the first person point of view of an adult recounting his most memorable Christmas experience. And what an experience! The boy in the story is awakened one Christmas Eve by a train whistle and discovers the Polar Express waiting to take him to the North Pole to see Santa. Once there, the boy is chosen to receive the first gift of Christmas. The boy has a touchingly simple request --to have one of the bells from the harness of Santa's reindeer. It is given to him, and he is filled with joy! Yet, on the way home, the boy discovers that there is a hole in the pocket of his bathrobe, and he has lost the treasured bell.He is heart broken. The next morning he finds the bell in a box under the tree, and he rejoices in the new-found bell and its marvelous sound! The catch? Only those who truly believe in the magic of Santa can hear the sound of the bell.
I read this story every year to my children, and every year there is absolute silence as they listen, entranced, to this deceptively simple story. Afterward, they always beg to hear it again and again! They are fascinated by the beautiful illustrations and the language of this very moving story. I have a CD with my version and Liam Neeson does a beautiful job of reading the book, along with superb background sounds and effects that will make you feel as if you had taken the journey yourself. You will not for a minute regret buying this book--I guarantee it will become a treasured favorite with your children!As an adult it will fill you with a wistful yearning to go back to your childhood and experience once again the magic of being a child.
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Summary: one of the best out there
Review: I give this book one of the best ratings around, I think out of the caldecott book winners this one was a favorite, because I really liked the way it was written and plus I really liked the pictures and the way they were colored with the texture that was used to visulize the book,in other words I would recommend this book to any person that likes to read or not.But you will love it.
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Summary: Polar Express Makes You Want to Believe!
Review: This is perhaps my favorite children's book of all-time. Van Allsburg is a master at creating the story Santa Claus on Christmas Eve. Every time I read this book, I remember when I was younger, curled up with my mother, cookies and milk, on cold evenings in late December. Read this book. It will make you want to believe again.
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Summary: My Polar Expressions
Review: I think this book is a very well written book. I really like the idea of the way the boy thinks of Christmas. Such as he wants a bell from Santa's sleigh because it's not everyday a boy sees Santa. I like the way the author makes it like the boy is dreaming, but there is a chance that he can really be doing that in real life.I would think the boy is very adventurous. I would give this book 5 stars for a great children's book.
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Summary: My Review for The Polar Express
Review: In my opinion The Polar Express was a wonderful children's book. Children would love the simple story line, the excellent illustrations, and the descriptiveness of the writing. This story is very simple for the young readers short attention span. Although descriptive the author says exactly what he wants. Next, the illustratons are wonderfuly done. Along with the illustrative words the pictures show exactly what the author meant. Lastly, The author uses words that put an excellent picture into your mind, before you even take a glance at the illustrations. In colclusion, with its elaborations and simpleness this book makes a superb story for any young child.
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