|
The Polar Express Twentieth Anniversary Edition
|
| List Price: | $35.00 |
| Price: | $23.10 & eligible for FREE Super Saver Shipping on orders over $25. Details |
Availability: Usually ships in 24 hours
Ships from and sold by Amazon.com
29 new or used available from $18.69
Average customer review:
Product Description
In 1986 The Polar Express was awarded the prestigious Caldecott Medal and hit the New York Times bestseller list. Since that time, more than six and a half million copies have been sold, and every December it faithfully reappears on national bestseller lists. In 2004, The Polar Express became a blockbuster holiday movie. The DVD release in 2005 assures, that like the book, the movie will become a holiday classic.
Product Details
- Amazon Sales Rank: #447261 in Books
- Published on: 2005-10-19
- Original language: English
- Number of items: 1
- Binding: Hardcover
- 32 pages
Features
- ISBN13: 9780618611690
- Condition: NEW
- Notes: Brand New from Publisher. No Remainder Mark.
- Click here to view our Condition Guide and Shipping Prices
Editorial Reviews
Review
One couldn't select a more delightful and exciting premise for a children's book than the tale of a young boy lying awake on Christmas Eve only to have Santa Claus sweep by and take him on a trip with other children to the North Pole. And one couldn't ask for a more talented artist and writer to tell the story than Chris Van Allsburg. Allsburg, a sculptor who entered the genre nonchalantly when he created a children's book as a diversion from his sculpting, won the 1986 Caldecott Medal for this book, one of several award winners he's produced. The Polar Express rings with vitality and wonder. (Amazon.com Review )
Grade 1-3 Given a talented and aggressive imagination, even the challenge of as cliche-worn a subject as Santa Claus can be met effectively. Van Allsburg's Polar Express is an old-fashioned steam train that takes children to the North Pole on Christmas Eve to meet the red-suited gentleman and to see him off on his annual sleigh ride. This is a personal retelling of the adult storyteller's adventures as a youngster on that train. The telling is straight, thoughtfully clean-cut and all the more mysterious for its naive directness; the message is only a bit less direct: belief keeps us young at heart. The full-page images are theatrically lit. Colors are muted, edges of forms are fuzzy, scenes are set sparsely, leaving the details to the imagination. The light comes only from windows of buildings and the train or from a moon that's never depicted. Shadows create darkling spaces and model the naturalistic figures of children, wolves, trees, old-fashioned furniture and buildings. Santa Claus and his reindeer seem like so many of the icons bought by parents to decorate yards and rooftops: static, posed with stereotypic gestures. These are scenes from a memory of long ago, a dreamy reconstruction of a symbolic experience, a pleasant remembrance rebuilt to fufill a current wish: if only you believe, you too will hear the ringing of the silver bell that Santa gave him and taste rich hot chocolate in your ride through the wolf-infested forests of reality. Van Allsburg's express train is one in which many of us wish to believe. Kenneth Marantz, Art Education Department, Ohio State University, Columbus
(School Library Journal )
About the Author
Customer Reviews
Caution! Timing is everything
Before you buy this book, consider whether your child has doubts about Santa Claus and how much you are going to let them in on the secret. This book may plant a seed of doubt that you may regret.
This is the story of a boy who is swept away to the North Pole, gets to meet Santa and his elves, and receives a very special gift which he treasures his whole life. The gift is a sleighbell that rings for anyone who believes in Santa. His parents could never hear the ring. His sister one year didn't hear it ring anymore. And some of his friends never heard it ring either. But he, being taken face to face with Santa, always believes and therefore always hears it ring.
But the flip side of the coin is that everyone else eventually stops believing. If your child is immersed in the tradition, then it may be too early to read the book to him. If your child is already clear on the subject, it might be too late. If your child is on the final step of finding out the truth, it might be a fantastic story to share with them to show how Santa exists for those who believe in him and there is no shame either in believing or disbelieving.
The art is fantastic and the story is very well constructed. It's only problem is finding the right moment to lay this on your kid.
Timeless Classic Only Grows More Beautiful Over Time
Few books can leave an indelible impression like The Polar Express. The train journey to visit Santa is about every little child's dream... and Chris recounts it through a vivid imagination and passion for children's literature that was a huge inspiration for me. This project only grew more vibrant through its association with Tom Hanks and company...and this Anniversary Edition makes that very clear. I advise you to grab this and share it with your kids... I know they will love it as much as mine do!
The Polar Express was one of the books that fostered a passion within me to write children's literature. It adapted into a magical film that made the story grow all the more vibrant in the process.
Brian Weiner
CEO
The Illusion Factory
Author
Toad Catchers' Creek
Award Winning
I gave this book 5 stars because it was a good book. The book is about a magic train that travels to the North Pole. The train took little boys and girls to the North Pole. When the children arrive at the North Pole, they learn that one of them will receive the first gift of Christmas.
This was a fun book for me, I really enjoyed the train because they had good treats. I also like the pictures of the train.
Westly
7
1st grade
Germany
