Fantasy: The Polar Express

The Polar Express by Chris Van Allsburg tells the story of a young boy named Chris awakened on Christmas Eve by a magical train that appeared outside of his house. He climbs aboard and finds that there are many children his age on the train. They are treated with hot chocolate as they go to the North Pole. On the way he makes two new friends named  Billy and Sarah. They make it to the center of the North Pole where Santa will choose one person for the first gift of Christmas. Chris is chosen to receive the first gift and chooses a sleigh bell from Santa's sleigh. 

The author does a good job at laying out the events of the story. The book is in the fantasy genre because there is lots of magic involved throughout the story. The illustrations are what takes up the majority of the book and are in my opinion beautifully done. They are extremely detailed making the story seem realistic. There is a good balance of story telling and also the fantasy aspect of the story. 

Motivational Activities:

1) Have students put themselves in Chris's position and having them write their own version of the polar express and what they would choose if they were to receive the first gift of Christmas.  

2) Have the class watch the Polar express movie after reading the book and make a venn diagram having them compare and contrast the book and movie.

Reader Response Questions:

1) Why did the train get off the tracks at one point throughout the book?

2) How did Chris lose his bell Santa gave him?

3) How did Chris know he still believed in Santa even years after he went to the North Pole?

Allsburg, C. V., & Neeson, L. (2017). The Polar Express. London: Andersen Press.