The Polar Express

Van Allsburg, C. (1985). The polar express. Boston, MA: Houghton Mifflin Company.

I had never read The Polar Express. 

Now that you’ve had a chance to get over your disbelief, I’ll move on.  Yes, I had seen the movie, but, to be honest, I wasn’t as moved by it as perhaps I should have been according to pretty much everybody in the ENTIRE WORLD.  Perhaps it’s because I don’t have children of my own with whom I could share the wonderment of this magical tale.  Perhaps it’s because I’m an old fuddy-duddy who’s far removed from the whole Santa Claus thing. Perhaps it’s because it just seemed a little long.  And perhaps Hollywood just didn’t need to mess with the perfection that is this beautiful picture book, even if they did snag the loveable Tom Hanks to play the Conductor. I don’t know. 

This year, as their major Christmas gift, my in-laws took my husband’s brothers and their wives and young children to the Polar Express train ride in Indiana, and based on the stories we heard from their experience, it was truly magical.  So, when I saw The Polar Express as a possible reading option in our text, I chose it as one of my selections to read for a blog posting thinking that maybe I could figure out what I was missing.  Certainly everyone reading this post has already read this book, so a synopsis is probably unnecessary, but I’ll give it a whirl anyway... 

The story is told in first person from the point-of-view of a young boy nearing the age of no longer believing in Santa Claus.  Some of his friends are already sharing their cynicism.  On Christmas Eve, he is whisked away to the North Pole on a magical train named "The Polar Express" that pulls up right in front of his house.  When the train arrives at its destination, all the children on board hope to be the first to request a gift from Santa Claus, and our narrator is selected.  Rather than asking for a football or a “Red Ryder BB gun with a compass in the stock, and this thing which tells time” (Clark, 1983) the boy asks only for a silver bell from Santa’s sleigh.  Santa gladly grants the child’s humble request, cuts a bell from a reindeer’s harness, and hands it to the boy.  Once they’re aboard the train, the children ask to see the boy’s gift, but, because of an unfortunate wardrobe malfunction (a hole in the pocket of his pajamas), he discovers that it has gone missing, creating an element of suspense for the reader.  Heartbroken, the boy returns home and opens his gifts under the tree the next morning…  Will he ever find the bell?  You’ll just have to read the book to find out the ending that you most likely already know.  (Read the book…the movie is a bit of overkill in my humble opinion.)

Chris Van Allsburg both wrote and illustrated The Polar Express.  He creates somewhat realistic settings with a touch of magic with his words and artwork.  Each page comes alive with movement and color.  I particularly love the illustrations of the interior of the train.  Each character is endowed with a life and personality.  Even though the pictures are still, I can just see the children excitedly chattering and squirreling around the train car while chefs and waiters cheerfully serve hot chocolate (not even worrying about whether the kids will knock over the huge urn and cups!).  The North Pole is a vibrant hub of Christmas activity, and the boy’s home is warm and loving.  What is exceptionally lovely is that, while every page contains huge illustrations that complement the text, the last page contains only one small rendering of a silver jingle bell and a short paragraph that illustrates the theme of the book simply urging readers to keep the spirit of childhood, the belief in Santa Claus, and the beauty of Christmas alive even as reality and strains of life may pull us down.  It made me tear up just a little bit!

Would I recommend The Polar Express?  Heck yes I would!  Millions of readers can’t be wrong.  This is the kind of book that makes me look forward to having children and starting a special tradition of reading it on Christmas Eve.  While infants wouldn’t have a clue what’s going on, I know that even my 3-year-old-niece sits still for this one, so I might try starting reading this one to a two-year-old (TRY being the operative word) and continue until they stop hearing the sweet sound of Santa’s silver bell…which is hopefully never.

BIG Question: How does Chris Van Allsburg create suspense throughout The Polar Express?     

Works Cited

Clark, B. (Director). (1983). A christmas story [Film]. Los Angeles: MGM.