127 out of 127 people found this review helpful.
Do You Believe?
Date of Review: Dec 11, 2000
For a good while, Christmas had lost it's meaning to me. I had a very rough Christmas where I lost my great-grandmother. I spent Christmas Eve in her hospital room so that she wouldn't have to be alone. Soon after Christmas, she passed away, and somehow the joyous season wasn't so joyful.
A few years later found me married with my first son. Suddenly, I found joy in Christmas again. I remembered why Christmas was so special to so many people. Not just the gifts and the cookies and the mistletoe. It was also the family, the sharing, and the belief. The belief? Well of course! Don't you believe in Santa Claus?
My belief in Santa started at a very young age. Probably since my first Christmas when my parents filled me in on who the jolly old man was. My favorite Christmas memory was when my whole family was gathered round the kitchen table, preparing cookies and milk for Santa. I'm sure it was way past my bedtime, and my grandparents were trying to convince me to get into bed.
Suddenly my grandfather leaped to the window. "Did you see that," he asked? I ran to join him. "What, what?" "There, by the tree....it's a reindeer!" I peered out the window, hoping for a glimpse of the elusive Rudolph. "And what's that I hear," joined in my grandmother? "Is that the sound of Christmas bells?" I strained to hear them. There they were! I'm sure I heard them! The ring ring of Santa's bells! And there was the shadow of his reindeer by the tree! I sprinted off to bed, in hopes that Santa hadn't caught me still awake.
And the next morning I was not only greeted with full stockings and piles of presents under the tree, but reindeer footprints in the snow out back! You'd better believe I was a believer!!!
Chris Van Allsburg is also a believer. He has written a magical book that helped bring back my faith in Santa Claus. The Polar Express is one of the most beautiful, precious, innocent, and fabulous books I have ever read. Follow me to the North Pole, and perhaps you too will believe.
On Christmas Eve, many years ago, I lay quietly in my bed. Van Allsburg's opening words bring you quickly to a little boy's bedroom, on the child's favorite night of the year. Like me, he too was listening for those Christmas bells. Unlike his friend's, he still believed in Santa Claus. Soon, he hears the sound of a train pulling up in front of his house.
He runs outside, and finds out from the Conductor that this is the Polar Express, the train that will take him to the North Pole! The boy is pulled aboard, and finds himself on a train with other children just like him! The Polar Express raced through dark forests, up big hills, and over the Great Polar Ice Cap, until finally arriving at it's destination-The North Pole.
The children soon learn the story of the first gift of Christmas, which Santa is about to present to one chosen child. The little boy is surprised to find out he is the chosen one. When asked by Santa what gift he would like, the little boy only asks for a bell off of Santa's sleigh. Santa presents him with the small silver bell, proclaiming it The first gift of Christmas .
As the clock strikes midnight, Santa is on his way to deliver gifts to all the children of the world. The Polar Express then takes off to take the children home. They all want to see the bell Santa gave the little boy, but it has fallen out of his pocket! Sadly, the little boy returns home and goes to bed.
On Christmas morning, after all the gifts are opened, the little boy finds one more gift. It is Santa's bell! He shakes it, and it rang out beautifully. He and his little sister heard it, but his mother and father could not. Through the years, the little boy's friends and even his sister stopped hearing the bell. But not the little boy, and not me! We're still believers.
Van Allsburg does a wonderful job with this simple story. The words are moving and descriptive. He takes you for a ride on the Polar Express, letting you feel each mountain you climb, and each snowflake that falls. You feel the joy as the children reach the North Pole. You feel the wonder as the boy chooses his gift. You feel the sadness of the boy losing the bell. And you feel the happiness of finding the bell again on Christmas.
Van Allsburg not only penned The Polar Express , he also painted the beautiful illustrations that adorn each page. Each face is drawn with such feeling, and each drawing fits perfectly with the story. Everything helps draw you into the story.
Not only do I think the story The Polar Express is fantastic, but the book has also won The Caldecott Medal. Van Allsburg has also written Jumanji and The Wreck of Zephyr among others.
My grandparents started me on the path to belief, but Chris Van Allsburg's The Polar Express helped me find my way back. I hope to share this belief with my son, and perhaps one or two of you who read this review today. If you have children, or even if you miss the innocence of childhood yourself, pick up a copy of The Polar Express today. And be sure to listen for Santa's bell this Christmas...I'll be ringing it on Christmas Eve to celebrate Santa handing out the first gift of the season!
This Epinion is part of the Favorite Christmas book Write-off sponsored by Elorraine. Please share in the joy of Christmas with me by reading the contributions of all the other fabulous writers who participated in the write-off.
Elorraine, adcd711, adrienne10, amylensor, beecharmer, bmcnichol, bpotter1, caleo, cbgresh, cjsmommy, coldsteel7, dnadj, diane-e, dreamcatcher39, drlolipop, ed_grover, fresca, grouch, jdinpa, jenni1396, jennica, jenull, jgibson2, krisintafh, lisa_j, lucky43560, lunadisarm, margomargo, meanbeast, msmorvay, nightridrr2000, poseidon, redlass, shazzle99, tiasmom, trevsmom, workingmomof2.
Thanks for letting me participate in such a memory-filled write-off. It's been lots of fun, and gave me the opportunity to share such a wonderful book with lots of people:)
Cricket
