The Polar Express

The Polar Express

The Polar Express is a 1985 children's book written and illustrated by Chris Van Allsburg, a former professor at the Rhode Island School of Design. It was adapted as an Oscar-nominated motion-capture film in 2004 starring Tom Hanks. The book is now widely considered to be a classic Christmas story for young children. It was praised for its detailed illustrations and calm, relaxing storyline. In 1986, it was awarded the Caldecott Medal for children's literature. The book is set partially in Grand Rapids, Michigan, the author's home town. It is published in both soft and hard-copies. As the...
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quick facts
Author:Chris Van Allsburg
Genre:Children's literature, Fiction, Picture book
Number of editions:9

Honors and Awards

YearAward Won
1986 Caldecott Medal
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Author of The Polar Express

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. He received the Caldecott Honor Medal...
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Additional works by Chris Van Allsburg
BookCopyright DateGenre
Jumanji 1995 Children's literature
The Sweetest Fig Children's literature
The Widow's Broom Children's literature
Zathura Children's literature
The Wretched Stone Children's literature
The Wreck of the Zephyr Children's literature
The Z Was Zapped Children's literature
The Mysteries of Harris Burdick Children's literature
The Stranger Children's literature
The Garden of Abdul Gasazi Children's literature
Deux Fourmis
Mal Dia En Rio Seco Fiction
Le balai magique
LA Escoba De LA Viuda Children's literature
Une Figue de rêve
The Polar Express Gift Set
Just a dream 1990 Speculative fiction
The Polar Express Deluxe Gift Package
El expreso polar Fiction
Probuditi!
Ben's dream
Bad day at Riverbend
Les mystères de Harris Burdick
Two bad ants
A City In Winter 1996 Children's literature
Jumangi
El Naufragio Del Zefiro
Probuditi! Children's literature
Queen Of The Falls Novel
Two Bad Ants Children's literature
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Characters in The Polar Express

Hero Boy
Hero Boy

Hero Boy is a fictional character from The Polar Express.

Conductor
Conductor

Conductor is a fictional character from The Polar Express.

Film adaptations of The Polar Express

The Polar Express
The Polar Express
Release date:October 21, 2004
Directed by:Robert Zemeckis
Rated:G (USA)
Runtime:100 minutes

The Polar Express is a 2004 motion capture computer-animated fantasy film based on the children's book of the same title by Chris Van Allsburg. Written, produced, and directed by Robert Zemeckis, the human characters in the film were animated using live action performance capture technique, with...
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Literary Genres

Children's literature
Children's literature

Children's literature as such probably started in the 17th century; it is generally believed that before then books were written mainly for adults....
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Fiction
Fiction

Fiction is the form of any narrative or informative work that deals, in part or in whole, with information or events that are not factual, but...
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Picture book
Picture book

A picture book combines visual and verbal narratives in a book format, most often aimed at young children. The images in picture books use a range of...
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Frequently Asked Questions

  • Q:
    "The Polar Express" is of which genre?
  • A:
    The book is classified as: Children's literature and Fiction.
  • Q:
    Which artist illustrated the book "The Polar Express"?
  • A:
    Chris Van Allsburg was the book's illustrator.
  • Q:
    How long is the book: "The Polar Express"?
  • A:
    The book contains 32 pages.
  • Q:
    The book, "The Polar Express" is of which category?
  • A:
    "The Polar Express" is of the subject matter category: Christmas, Classics and Education

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The Polar Express
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