Book vs. Movie: The Polar Expres by Chris Van Allsburg

The Polar Express by Chris Van Allsuburg was published in 1985 and is a true Christmas classic. This is a wonderful book to read aloud to students around Christmas time. In my classroom we have a Polar Express pajama party and kikds wear their pajamas to school and bring their favorite teddybear. We read aloud the story, watch the video and enjoy hot chocolate. I give each student a bell with their name on it to take home to remember the story. This books tells the story of a young boy who wakes up on Christmas Eve awaiting the sound of Santa’s bells. The Polar Express, which is a magical train pulls up to the young boys house and invites him to come along for the ride. When he gets on the train many other children are on there as well. The illustrations in the book version of the story are wonderful. They are very detailed and rich. The movie version of the story The Polar Express was produced in 2004 and was a huge success. The digital animation in the movie was amazing. It truly looked like the book pages were blown up on the screen. The characters and the music were so engaging that I truly felt like I was on the train with them. Both the movie and the book truly get one into the spirit of Christmas.

Van Allsburg, C. (1985). The polar express. New York: Houghton Mifflin.