Back L'Exprés Polar Catalan Der Polarexpress (Buch) German El Expreso Polar (libro) Spanish Polaarekspress (raamat) Estonian Boréal-express French The Polar Express Galician Polar Express (romanzo) Italian Polarekspressen NB Полярный экспресс (книга) Russian Norrskensexpressen Swedish
 Cover | |
| Author | Chris Van Allsburg |
|---|---|
| Illustrator | Chris Van Allsburg |
| Cover artist | Chris Van Allsburg |
| Genre | Children's picture book |
| Publisher | Houghton Mifflin |
Publication date | November 12, 1985 |
| Publication place | United States |
| Media type | Print (hardcover) |
| Pages | 32 |
| ISBN | 978-0-395-38949-2 |
| OCLC | 12162097 |
| [E] 19 | |
| LC Class | PZ7.V266 Po 1985 |
| Preceded by | The Mysteries of Harris Burdick |
| Followed by | The Stranger |
The Polar Express is a 1985 fantasy children's picture book written and illustrated by American author Chris Van Allsburg. The book is now widely considered to be a classic Christmas story for young children.[a] It was praised for its detailed illustrations and calm, relaxing storyline. For the work, Van Allsburg won the annual Caldecott Medal for illustration of an American children's picture book in 1986, his second after Jumanji.[1][2]
The book is set partially in Grand Rapids, Michigan, the author's home town, and was inspired in part by Van Allsburg's memories of visiting the Herpolsheimer's and Wurzburg's department stores as a child.[3] It was adapted as an Oscar-nominated motion-capture film in 2004 starring Tom Hanks and directed by Robert Zemeckis. Van Allsburg served as an executive producer on the film.
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- ^ Sullivan, Kathleen (November 12, 2004). "'Polar Express' author to discuss book's trip to screen". San Francisco Chronicle. Archived from the original on July 7, 2012. Retrieved November 18, 2011.
- ^ Association for Library Service to Children. "Caldecott Medal & Honor Books, 1938-Present". American Library Association. Retrieved August 24, 2012.
- ^ Kaczmarczyk, Jeffrey (November 17, 2015). "'Polar Express' author Chris Van Allsburg on how Christmas in Grand Rapids inspired beloved book". The Grand Rapids Press. Retrieved October 20, 2017.