num_pages: 32
description: Late on Christmas Eve, after the town has gone to sleep, a boy boards a mysterious train that waits for him: the Polar Express bound for the North Pole. When he arrives there, Santa offers him any gift he desires. The boy modestly asks for one bell from the reindeer's harness. It turns out to be a very special gift, for only believers in Santa can hear it ring. Chris van Allsburg has created a magical Christmas classic for which he was awarded the most prestigious award in the USA - the Caldecott Medal. The author refuses to allow a paperback edition and as a result the hardback has sold over 3 million copies in the USA alone.
language: English
title: The Polar Express
titlecomplete: The Polar Express
genres: Fantasy, Kids, Christmas, Picture Books, Holiday, Childrens, Classics, Juvenile, Fiction, Adventure
ratings_count: 236441
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