Polar Express 30th Anniversary Edition: A Christmas Holiday Book for Kids

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Christmas Eve" ( Noch pered Rozhdestvom, 1832) by Nikolai Gogol (from Evenings on a Farm Near Dikanka) Point of View :: The Polar Express is written in first person from the point of view of the boy. The first sentence in the book begins with "I lay quietly in my bed." This kind of narration is continued throughout the book. You understand the story through the young boys eyes and see how he views the world. You also understand that all he wants to do is believe that Santa is real and through his journey you understand that is possible. The point of view also affects the language used. The descriptions of the cocoa and candy on the train are clearly coming from the thoughts of the young child. So that brings me to this book. I was browsing around at Barnes & Noble during my lunch time (one of my routine stops) and saw this book. My breath hitched in a sentimental intake seeing the book there. Being pressed for time, I still stopped to sit down to read it, and it’s just as enchanting on paper as it is on screen. Surprisingly, the book is a bit condensed compared to the movie, but the theme is all the same. The last quote in the book that is known to many who have read the book states it perfectly, "At one time most of my friends could hear the bell, but as years passed, it fell silent for all of them. Even Sarah found one Christmas that she could no longer hear its sweet sound. Though I've grown old, the bell still rings for me as it does for all who truly believe."This quote says it perfectly.

This lesson can be presented as a read-aloud within the context of either a reading or writing workshop, but it can also stand on its own. It is helpful if children are used to being read to and to discussing books as a whole class. You will want to organize your students into talk partnerships so they are able to turn and talk to each other when you ask them questions about the text. At one time, most of my friends could hear the bell, but as years passed, it fell silent for all of them. Even Sarah found one Christmas that she could no longer hear its sweet sound. Though I've grown old, the bell still rings for me, as it does for all who truly believe. Development [ edit ]

A) I had this idea, this mental image, of a young boy who, perhaps while visiting relatives or something, hears a strange sound in the middle of the night, and he goes outside. It is a very foggy, misty night. He walks through these woods and sees a train standing still, just sitting in this kind of fog. Where is it going to go? Well, there are a lot of places a train could go and take a child, but where would a child want to go more than anywhere else? As I reflected on this mysterious train, it occurred to me that it must be a cold night, because the engine’s steam is heavy. It might even be winter. Maybe some snow is falling. Perhaps it’s December, close to Christmas, or even Christmas Eve. Then I asked myself the question again: where would a child want to go more than anywhere else on Christmas Eve?

Van Allsburg based the story on a mental image of a child wandering into the woods on a foggy night and wondering where a train was headed. [4] One Town's Fight to Save Their 40-Foot Yule Goat - by Sarah Gibbens – Yes, really, a Christmas goatTell your students that most stories involve some sort of conflict, or disagreement between the characters. In Zathura, Walter and Danny are two brothers who don’t get along with each other very well. Just as Chris Van Allsburg creates a conflict, or disagreement, and then helps Walter and Danny resolve that conflict, your students will be making stories that deal with their own real-life disagreements with siblings or friends. During writing time, help your students get started generating lists of facts they know, and then see that they begin writing stories incorporating these facts. Confer with them individually about this process.

Have students draw two pictures — the first showing an argument they’ve had with a sibling or friend, the next showing how the conflict was resolved. This could become more of a social lesson as well, focused around “getting along.” Characters :: The young boy is the main character in the book. We never learn his namebut he plays a significant role in the book. He is the one who knows that there is a Santa when so many people surrounded him simply do not believe. The conductor is another character in the book. He is the one who leads the children to the North Pole. He shows them the way to the North Pole and helps them get there. The conductor also does not have a name throughout the book but also plays a significant role because he is able to lead the children on an adventure to help them believe. The little sister (Sarah) of the young boy is another character in the book who doesn't appear until the end. She does play an important part though because the young boy realizes that he isn't the only one who can hear the silver bell ring but his sister can too, which means she is also a believer. Santa is also a character in the book and doesn't need much of an introduction. The significance of his character in the book is huge. He is what the children need to see to believe in.Other characters in the book are the rest of the children ont he train.Some of thembelieve in Santa and so this ride is a special treat for them and others do not, making the ride a vital step in saving their childhood innocence.What do you think this stone is? Does the description remind you of anything? Why did the men bring the stone on board? Tell your students that they will be trying this out in their own reading work, and that there is a bin of picture books on each of their tables. When they go off to their tables, they will be choosing a book to retell through the pictures, trying to make it sound just like a story.

The story is very short indeed, and the use of language not very imaginative. After reading the book, it was interesting to watch the film based on it, which has also been highly acclaimed. Yet that felt strangely long and drawn-out. Yes, the story had been expanded, but it still had no depth, which it certainly needed to maintain its feature length. How many children would be able to sustain over an hour of grey fuzziness and mere expectation of possibly meeting Santa? And that droning, sentimental music! Again, "The Snowman" does it better, and the decision to keep it at a mere 20 minutes was a wise one. However it is the book of The Polar Express which is reviewed here, not the film. I so wanted to love this book. I had heard many friends enthuse about The Polar Express, knew it had won awards, and have a soft spot myself for illustrated fantasy books for children. But this particular one I found to be a little disappointing. Van Allsburg struggled for a time with his sculpture studio. At home, Van Allsburg began a series of sketches that his wife Lisa thought would be suitable for children's books. She showed his work to an editor who contracted his first book, The Garden of Abdul Gasazi, in 1979. [6] As your students write, you will want to confer with as many individuals as possible. Students may have trouble integrating facts into a fictional story, so this may be the focus of many of your conferences.When Ben passes the Sphinx, he sees another house. Who do you think is in the window? Why do you think that?