The Polar Express

The Polar Express

Author:Chris Van Allsburg

Theme: adventure, Believing, Christmas

Genre: adventure, Folktale

Grades: Kindergarten -2nd grade

Summary: Late one Christmas Eve a little boy is invited to ride the Polar Express to the North Pole to meet Santa. While there he asks for the simple gift of a sleigh bell off of one of the reindeer. Santa grants the boys wish and sends him on his way. The finds that he has lost his bell and is upset by this, until Christmas morning he finds his bell under the tree. His mother admires the bell but thinks it to be broken upon ringing it. The boy finds that he is able to hear the bell, as the only way to hear it ring is to believe.

I loved this book as a child. We always read it around the holidays, and I have read it to many of the children that I have worked with over the year. Its a great book to discuss with children what they think it would be like if they were to be invited to ride the Polar Express.

Activity: After reading the story discuss what it would be like to be able to take a train to the north pole to see Santa. Ask them what they think that they would see on their way there. Who else they think would be on the train with them. Would there be any goodies on the train? You can even have students write a story about thier own experience that they might have on the Polar Express.

Activity 2: Read this book before Christmas break and have a Polar Express party in your classroom. Print out tickets and pass them out before watching the movie. Have the students bring their PJs to wear during the movie. Provide simple refreshments for students during the movie. Go around and hold punch each child's ticket before they choose a seat for the movie.

About the Author: Chris Van Allsburg enjoyed art as a child, but this slowly died out as he got old. When enrolling into college he decided to enroll into an art school, because he thought it would be easy, but was seriously mistaken by that. He studied to be a sculptor but that didn't last too long and he found him self drawing instead. Chris has written and illustrated many books, including The Polar Express and Jumanji, as well as illustrated other books.

 Van Allsburg, C. (1985).The Polar Express. Boston:Houghton Mifflin.Grades K-2