The Polar Express

by Chris Van Allsburg

This celebrated, Caldecott Medal winning story was eventually made into a movie. That is almost enough recommendation right there.

The glossy color pages are 8.5” X 11” and each picture covers all but 2.5” of the two pages when opened. These long format images are excellent for panoramic images and of course trains. All the colors on the images are muted or dark to convey the nighttime story, but they are also grand vistas as seen from the train, or including the train. This helps make the story inspirational. This inspiration is critical as the end of the story is that the child, even into his old age, continued to believe in Santa.

The language is more advanced than most picture books and contains lots of dialogue. The text switches from left to right to assist group reading switch readers and conveniently places the images in a common center for viewing with the exception of the last page. The last page has 75% whites pace with the moral-of-the-story image and text centered for emphasis.

The Polar Express is a pleasant read for both adults and children, and a great book for children to group read.

Lesson plans can be found at:
http://www.houghtonmifflinbooks.com/features/thepolarexpress/educators.shtml