The Polar Express
Overview
 
The Polar Express is a 1985 children's book (ISBN 0-86264-143-8) written and illustrated by Chris Van Allsburg
Chris Van Allsburg
Chris Van Allsburg is an American author and illustrator of children's books. He twice won the Caldecott Medal, for Jumanji and The Polar Express , both of which he wrote and illustrated, and both of which were later adapted into successful motion pictures...

, a former professor at the Rhode Island School of Design
Rhode Island School of Design
Rhode Island School of Design is a fine arts and design college located in Providence, Rhode Island. It was founded in 1877. Located at the base of College Hill, the RISD campus is contiguous with the Brown University campus. The two institutions share social, academic, and community resources and...

. It was adapted as an Oscar-nominated motion-capture film in 2004
2004 in film
The year 2004 in film involved some significant events. Major releases of sequels took place. It included blockbuster films like Shrek 2, Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, The Passion of the Christ, Meet the Fockers, Blade: Trinity, Spider-Man 2, Alien vs. Predator, Kill Bill Vol...

.

The book is now widely considered to be a classic Christmas
Christmas
Christmas or Christmas Day is an annual holiday generally celebrated on December 25 by billions of people around the world. It is a Christian feast that commemorates the birth of Jesus Christ, liturgically closing the Advent season and initiating the season of Christmastide, which lasts twelve days...

 story for young children. It was praised for its detailed illustrations and calm, relaxing storyline. In 1986, it was awarded the Caldecott Medal
Caldecott Medal
The Caldecott Medal is awarded annually by the Association for Library Service to Children , a division of the American Library Association, to the artist of the most distinguished American picture book for children published that year. The award was named in honor of nineteenth-century English...

 for children's literature.
Quotations

Sounds to me like this is your crucial year. If I were you, I would think about climbing onboard.

Come on, come on, come on. I’ve got a schedule to keep.

Tickets, please.

That is a public-address microphone. It is not a toy.

Now, young man, Christmas may not be important to some people, but it is very important to the rest of us!

There can be no Christmas without the Polar Express arriving on time. Am I the only one who understands that?

Young man, are you bound and determined that this train never reaches the North Pole?

Caribou crossing?!

Problem solved. All ahead, slow.

Considering we’ve lost communications with the engineer, we are standing totally exposed on the front of the locomotive, the train appears to be accelerating uncontrollably, and we are rapidly approaching Glacier Gulch which happens to be the steepest downhill grade in the world, I suggest we all hold on tightly.

 
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