The Polar Express

Genre: Fantasy

Title: The Polar Express

Author & Illustrator: Chris Van Allsburg

Awards: Caldecott Medal

Age Range: 5-8 Years Old

Summary: On Christmas Eve, a young boy went outside when he saw a train in front of his house. The conductor invited him on board, which he accepted the invitation because they were going to the North Pole. When they arrive at the North Pole, the train took the children to see Santa. Santa gave out the first gift to a young boy. After that, Santa took off on his sleigh to deliver presents. When the children got on the train the boy noticed that he lost his gift. However, on Christmas morning Santa left his gift under his tree.

Evaluation: I would use this book with grades 1st through 5th. The Polar Express is one of my favorite stories and it would be a great book to read during December. For younger students, I would have them write a letter to Santa asking for one thing they want for Christmas and have them include a picture. For older students, I would let them watch the movie, then they would write an essay to compare and contrast the movie and the book.

Comments

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