The Polar Express is the first-person narrative of a young boy�s journey to the North Pole to receive the first gift of Christmas from Santa Claus. As he lies quietly in his bed, hoping to hear the ringing of bells on Santa�s sleigh, he hears instead the squeaking metal and hissing steam of a train outside his house. The conductor helps him aboard, where he finds other children in their pajamas singing Christmas carols, eating candy, and drinking hot chocolate. The train travels through the wilderness, over mountains, hills and plains before reaching the North Pole, a sparkling oasis in a desert of ice, where Santa and his elves are waiting. When Santa asks the boy what he would like for Christmas, he asks for one silver bell from a reindeer�s harness. After granting the wish, Santa and his sleigh take off and the children board the Polar Express for the return trip, where the boy is dismayed to discover that he has lost the bell through a hole in his pocket. On Christmas morning, he finds the bell under the tree with a note from Santa, but discovers that his parents can�t hear the ringing of the bell.
Van Allsburg uses figurative language that is both spare and concise to weave this richly textured fantasy. The train was wrapped in an �apron of steam,� �thundered� through the wilderness, and climbed so high it seemed as if it would �scrape the moon.� Effective use of both simile and metaphor evoke images of the scene as the train approached the North Pole. �We crossed a barren desert of ice� before seeing what looked like �the lights of a strange ocean liner sailing on a frozen sea.� The sensual descriptions of the candies �with nougat centers as white as snow� and hot chocolate �as thick and rich as melted chocolate bars� let the reader share in the experience.
The art in the book was rendered through the medium of soft Caran d�Ache oil pastels. The use of muted colors and soft textures in Van Allsburg�s art has an other-worldly quality as if drawn from memories of long ago. The illustrations of slinking wolves in the dark snowy night convey a sense of intrigue and mystery, contrasting with the color and excitement of the festivities inside the train. The artist tells the story from many perspectives � the scene within the train, the view from the train, and outside the train, both near and from afar.
In accepting the 1986 Caldecott Medal for this jewel of a book, Van Allsburg said �the story was actually about faith and the desire to believe in something.� He described �the ability to believe in the fantastic� as �a gift.� The Polar Express is a modern-day classic which will be revisited every holiday season, granting both adults and children alike the gift of wonder, if only for one magical moment.
Related Web Sites:
Van Allsburg�s Caldecott Acceptance Speech: http://www.houghtonmifflinbooks.com/authors/vanallsburg/calpolar.shtml
The Polar Express movie:
http://polarexpressmovie.warnerbros.com/