Late one Christmas Eve, a boy hears strange sounds outside his bedroom window. These are not the sounds of the
sleigh bells,
and he soon discovers why—a steaming locomotive has stopped right in front of his house. He throws on his slippers and robe, tiptoes out of the house, boards the train, and
finds himself en route to the North Pole. The boy is now in the company of many other children, also in their nightclothes, and, narrating in first-person, he describes a mystical dreamlike journey northward on the mighty Polar Express.
Once they arrive at the North Pole, they see hundreds of elves, and finally, Santa Clause himself. Before leaving at the strike of midnight, he selects the boy to receive the first gift of Christmas; anything that he desires. The boy asks only for a
silver bell from Santa’s sleigh. On the return trip home, the boy finds that he has lost the bell, and upon returning home, he sadly bids farewell to the Polar Express, and goes back to bed. The following morning, a tiny box is found under the tree with the boy’s name on it, and inside he finds the silver bell. He and his sister have never heard such a beautiful sound as from the silver bell, but their parents hear nothing. The bell can only be heard by those who truly believe.
As with The Garden of Abdul Gasazi, The Wreck of the Zephyr, and Jumanji, The Polar Express is written and beautifully illustrated by Chris Van Allsburg. However, the luminous full-color pastel drawings of The Polar Express are stunningly magical and original. Since its publication in 1985, there is no doubt that The Polar Express has become a classic children’s book.