"The Polar Express" by Chris Van Allsburg

Obviously "The Polar Express" is one of those seasonal novels that reminds us of the holidays. This children's book dives into the holiday fantasy of every child in which they actually get to physically meet Santa. The illustrations in this novel take up about 9/10 of every page horizontally, thus keeping children constantly visually stimulated with the story. I believe this is an effective literary technique since these broad images may help keep the children's imagination's flowing as the author narrates. The imagery the author chooses to paint in this novel is one of realism - while using soft wintery colors. Rather than using cartooney images, the author's use of realism aid children to couple realistic people with a world of fantasy.

Although this is a fantastic seasonal novel that empowers the imagination of children, I believe this may not be the best book to be read in schools. I, myself, see no problem with it, but many other children of other religions may feel alienated if this book was read around Christmastime - since all religions don't believe in Santa. The author clearly does not make any religious statements, however, I can see some parents complaining if this was read in school - and their children did not celebrate Christmas. Obviously, most children's books are not meant to promote certain beliefs, but an educator must understand and use caution if they want to use stories that contain religious aspects, no matter how subtle.