| The Polar Express |
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| CATEGORIES ABOUT THE POLAR EXPRESS | |
| 1985 books | |
| polar express, the | |
| fictional trains | |
| rail transport in fiction | |
| christmas fiction | |
| caldecott medal winners book | |
| childrens picture books | |
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''The Polar Express'' is a 1985 Children's Book (ISBN 0862641438) written and illustrated by Chris Van Allsburg , a former professor at the Rhode Island School Of Design . It was adapted as a Feature Film in 2004 . It tells the story of a young boy on Christmas Eve who is beginning to lose his belief in Santa Claus . Somehow, a magical train called the Polar Express pulls up in front of his house and he is invited to journey to the North Pole . As he reaches the North Pole, the boy is handpicked by Santa Claus to receive the first present of Christmas. He chooses a bright silver bell from Santa's sleigh which makes a beautiful sound. As the years go by, people around him notice that they can no longer hear the beautiful sound, even his parents and sister. But there are those who still can, those who still truly believe. The book is now widely considered to be a classic Christmas story for young children. It was praised for its detailed illustrations and calm, relaxing storyline. In 1986 it was awarded the Caldecott Medal for children's literature. It is published in both soft and hard-copies. In 2004, Van Allsburg was an executive producer for the film '' The Polar Express ''. In the book, Fritz the pit bull appears as a sock puppet on the first page. In the film, a digitally-produced cartoon, Tom Hanks is the voice and realistic image of the train conductor, in something akin to digital Rotoscoping . |
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