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1 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Do You Believe in Santa? Ting-a-Ling!, 29 Jun 2004
Reading to your child is good for both of you. The experience strengthens your bond. Your example also helps your child to learn to read. Pick a good book, and you will have enriched your child's life in ways that would not otherwise be possible. Reading The Polar Express aloud is a good opportunity to accomplish these worthwhile results.
This delightful Christmas story raises a challenging question for parents: For whom is this book appropriate? The text suggests that some children and parents (and almost all people as they get older) don't believe in Santa. In addition, the story is filled with things parents tell their children never to do when parents are not around (such as take a ride with strangers, eat food and drink beverages from strangers, and accept gifts from strangers). If you decide to read the story to a very wee one, you should also be prepared for the possibility that your child might be frightened by the idea that all of this commotion can happen on Christmas Eve near your house. My conclusion is that the optimum time to read this story is the first time you become aware that your child is a little confused or skeptical about Santa. This often occurs after seeing the 17th Santa in a store during the same shopping trip. You could use the multiplicity of Santas to explain why some children and adults are skeptical about these "Santa's helpers." Obviously, we all know that Santa is really busy at the North Pole. I suggest that you handle the "unapproved" behavior by asking your child if she or he should do these things, and reinforce the proper lessons. The story itself centers on faith. A man remembers one Christmas Eve. The Polar Express pulls up in front of his house when he was a boy and a conductor invites him on board for a trip to the North Pole. During a mystical trip with a train full of children, the boy learned that one of the children will be selected by Santa to receive the very first gift of that Christmas. The boy was chosen and wanted a silver bell from Santa's sleigh. Santa was delighted to provide it . . . and roared off in the sleigh to deliver toys to all the good little boys and girls. The boy discovered he'd lost the bell, and was sad. The Polar Express brought him home before dawn. The next morning, he discovered one final present with his name on it. It was the bell! Santa had attached a note, "Found this on the seat of my sleigh. Fix that hole in your pocket." "Though I've grown older, the bell still rings for me as it does for all who truly believe." I still believe in Santa . . . don't you? The Polar Express won the 1986 Caldecott Medal for its outstanding illustrations. These images appear to be a combination of gouache and pastels that create a mysterious, dreamlike feeling in me. They are not the same as a dream though, more like being half-awake in the middle of the night on an overnight train trip and still being a little into a dream. Each image is spread across almost all of a two-page spread with a little text to the side. If you child holds the book close to her or his face, it will be easy to join into the scene. Live with faith in the true spirit of Christmas every day!
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