I knew that I could have any gift I could imagine. But the thing I wanted most for Christmas was not inside Santa’s giant bag. What I wanted more than anything was one silver bell from Santa’s sleigh. When I asked, Santa smiled. Then he gave me a hug and told an elf to cut a bell from a reindeer’s harness. The elf tossed it up to Santa. He stood, holding the bell high above him, and called out, “The first gift of Christmas!” Although I really do much appreciate both the story (the presented narrative) and the accompanying illustrations, Chris Van Allsburg's The Polar Express ultimately does indeed feel but mildly entertaining and actually also manages to leave me rather flat and strangely unsatisfied.

The Polar Express (2004) - IMDb The Polar Express (2004) - IMDb

National Education Association (2007). "Teachers' Top 100 Books for Children". Archived from the original on July 30, 2013 . Retrieved August 22, 2012.And if you’re in Norfolk, you’re not far from some of the Christmas things going on in Suffolk. Churnet Valley Railway Polar Express On arrival at the North Pole, you’ll catch a sighting of Santa’s sleigh, a bag of toys and a giant Christmas tree and, of course, the man himself, Santa who will present each passenger with their very own “First Gift of Christmas”, a silver bell from his sleigh. Yes, up to 3-year-olds can be seated on a parent’s knee and they will of course receive a hot chocolate, cookie, and bell from Santa too. There are many Christmas steam train experiences in the UK but the most well known of all of them are the Polar Express train rides.

POLAR EXPRESS™ Train Ride - Telford Steam Railway THE POLAR EXPRESS™ Train Ride - Telford Steam Railway

The next morning, the boy and his sister Sarah open their presents. Upon having opened nearly all of them, Sarah finds one more behind the tree. The boy opens it to find the silver bell with a note from Santa saying it fell into his sleigh. He shakes the bell to create a sound he and Sarah both enjoy, but neither his mother nor his father can hear it and remarks that it must be broken. The book ends with the following line: That said, the whole experience is very similar to all of the other Polar Express train rides with singing and dancing Polar Express characters. At one time most of my friends could hear the bell, but as years passed, it fell silent for all of them. Even Sarah found one Christmas that she could no longer hear its sweet sound. Though I've grown old, the bell still rings for me as it does for all who truly believe." Development [ ]

Here is a lovely piece, a speech the author gave on receiving a Caldecott Award for this book. Like his book, it is a thing of beauty.