num_pages: 32
description: 
  “Seeing is believing, but sometimes the most real things in the world are the things we can't see.”
Late one Christmas Eve after the town has gone to sleep, the boy boards the mysterious train that waits for him: the Polar Express bound for the North Pole. When he arrives, Santa offers the boy any gift he desires. The boy modestly asks for one bell from the harness of the reindeer. The gift is granted. On the way home the bell is lost. On Christmas morning, the boy finds the bell under the tree. The mother of the boy admires the bell, but laments that it is broken—for you see, only believers can hear the sound of the bell.In strange and moving shades of full color art, 
  Chris Van Allsburg
 creates an otherwordly classic of the Christmas season. 'The Polar Express' evokes the same sense of mystery as his previous imaginative books 'The Garden of Abdul Gasazi' (1979), 'Jumanji' (1981), and 'The Wreck of the Zephyr' (1983).Awarded the prestigious Caldecott Medal in 1986, 'The Polar Express 'has sold more than 7 million copies, become a classic holiday movie, and been translated into stage productions that take place across the United States during the holiday season.
language: English
title: The Polar Express
titlecomplete: The Polar Express
genres: Childrens, Classics, Adventure, Christmas, Picture Books, Holiday, Fiction, Kids, Fantasy, Juvenile
ratings_count: 236421
awards: awardedAt: 504950400000
name: Caldecott Medal, awardedAt: 536486400000
name: Kentucky Bluegrass Award, awardedAt: 662716800000
name: Buckeye Children's Book Award
category: K-2, awardedAt: 568022400000
name: Nevada Young Readers' Award
category: Primary Category/Picture Book Category , awardedAt: 504950400000
name: Little Archer Award, awardedAt: 504950400000
name: Boston Globe-Horn Book Award
category: Picture Book - Honor Book
publisher: Houghton Mifflin