Books by Chris Van Allsburg
The Garden of Abdul Gasazi: A Caldecott Honor Award Winner
From the astonishing imagination of Chris Van Allsburg (Jumanji, The Polar Express)
A Caldecott Honor Book
Sometimes that very thin line between illusion and reality is not as clearly defined as we would like it to be. It certainly wasn't the day that Alan Mitz stumbled into the garden of Abdul Gasazi. For in this bizarre and eerie place—where strange topiary trees loomed—the eerie visage of Gasazi casts its shadow. And even after Alan escapes, the spell of Gasazi still seems to penetrate into his everyday world.
The very first picture book from the astonishing imagination of legendary Chris Van Allsburg explores both the real and surreal worlds with incredible deftness in this unusual tale. In doing so, he has created exquisite and beautiful images that will linger in the minds of readers long after they have left the enchanted garden of Abdul Gasazi.
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The Polar Express
For twenty years, The Polar Express has been a worldwide bestseller and Christmas classic. A perfect keepsake for any family, this beautiful edition can be handed down to each new generation of readers.
In 1986 The Polar Express was awarded the prestigious Caldecott Medal and hit the New York Times bestseller list. Since that time, more than six and a half million copies have been sold, and every December it faithfully reappears on national bestseller lists. In 2004, The Polar Express became a blockbuster holiday movie. The DVD release in 2005 assures, that like the book, the movie will become a holiday classic.
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The Polar Express
A deluxe gift package of the classic holiday Caldecott Medal winner combines the story of a young boy's Christmas Eve visit to a magical North Pole with a commemorative ornament and the complete story narrated on an accompanying cassette and CD. Read by Liam Neeson.
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The Polar Express
A magical train ride on Christmas Eve takes a boy to the North Pole to receive a special gift from Santa Claus, in a slip-cased gift edition of the holiday classic. A Caldecott Medal Book.
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Zathura
by Chris Van Allsburg, unknown author
A companion to Chris Van Allsburg's Caldecott Medal–winning Jumanji—a tale of intergalactic adventure and sibling rivalry where a roll of the dice transports two brothers to the mythical land of Zathura.
Taking place where Jumanji ended, older brother Walter warns his pesky little brother, Danny, not to bring home the mysterious board game they find at the park. But when Danny’s curiosity gets the better of him, the brothers have to battle homicidal robots, Zyborg pirates, and giant meteors in their living room!
Will this dynamic duo learn to work together before it’s too late? In double spread illustrations that shimmer against the surreal events of the story, readers will be holding their breath with each new threat the boys face in the satisfying enigma that is Zathura.
Like Jumanji, Zathura is also the inspiration of a popular major motion picture.
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Zathura
by Chris Van Allsburg, unknown author
Actors: Josh Hutcherson, Jonah Bobo, Dax Shepard, Tim Robbins, Kristen StewartDirectors: Jon FavreauWriters: Chris Van Allsburg, David Koepp, John KampsProducers: Louis D'Esposito, Michael De Luca, Peter Billingsley, Scott Kroopf, Ted FieldFormat: Full Screen, Color, Dolby, Dubbed, NTSC, Special Edition, Subtitled, WidescreenLanguage: English (Dolby Digital 5.1)Subtitles: English, FrenchDubbed: FrenchSubtitles for the Hearing Impaired: English
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Two Bad Ants
Two-time Caldecott medal winning author-illustrator Chris Van Allsburg, author of Jumanji and ThePolarExpress, brings his signature whimsical storytelling and dazzling artwork to a tale about two ants on the adventure of a lifetime.
The ants are tired of their humdrum life in the same ant hole, so they’re off to the strange new world of a kitchen in search of sugar crystals for their queen.
But when two ants stay behind and take a nap in the sugar bowl, they are in for a wild ride. Falling into a sizzling cup of coffee and a heated stay inside of a toaster is just the beginning for these misbehaved ants.
Will they ever make it back home?
Chris Van Allsburg’s terrific story about the consequences of disobeying reminds us all that the comforts of home aren’t so bad after all.
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The Z was Zapped
A dramatic black- and- white presentation of the alphabet in which the three-time Caldecott medalist depicts a mysterious transformation of each letter.
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The Wretched Stone
In a story recounted through the daily log of Captain Allan Hope, the sailors aboard the Rita Anne become mesmerized and transformed by a mysterious glowing rock, and only music and books can restore them to normal.
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The Stranger
by Harlan Coben, Albert Camus, Chris Van Allsburg, Camilla Lackberg
The enigmatic origins of the stranger that Farmer Bailey hits with his truck and brings home to recuperate seem to have a mysterious relation to the weather. Could he be Jack Frost?
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The Stranger
by Harlan Coben, Albert Camus, Chris Van Allsburg, Camilla Lackberg
NOW A NETFLIX ORIGINAL SERIES!
A secret destroys a man’s perfect life and sends him on a collision course with a deadly conspiracy in this shocking thriller from #1 New York Times bestselling author Harlan Coben.
The Stranger appears out of nowhere, perhaps in a bar, or a parking lot, or at the grocery store. Their identity is unknown. Their motives are unclear. Their information is undeniable. Then they whisper a few words in your ear and disappear, leaving you picking up the pieces of your shattered world...
Adam Price has a lot to lose: a comfortable marriage to a beautiful woman, two wonderful sons, and all the trappings of the American Dream: a big house, a good job, a seemingly perfect life.
Then he runs into the Stranger. When he learns a devastating secret about his wife, Corinne, he confronts her, and the mirage of perfection disappears as if it never existed at all. Soon Adam finds himself tangled in something far darker than even Corinne's deception, and realizes that if he doesn't make exactly the right moves, the conspiracy he’s stumbled into will not only ruin lives—it will end them.
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The Stranger
by Harlan Coben, Albert Camus, Chris Van Allsburg, Camilla Lackberg
A secret destroys a man’s perfect life and sends him on a collision course with a deadly conspiracy in this shocking thriller from #1 New York Times bestselling author Harlan Coben.
The Stranger appears out of nowhere, perhaps in a bar, or a parking lot, or at the grocery store. His identity is unknown. His motives are unclear. His information is undeniable. Then he whispers a few words in your ear and disappears, leaving you picking up the pieces of your shattered world...
Adam Price has a lot to lose: a comfortable marriage to a beautiful woman, two wonderful sons, and all the trappings of the American Dream: a big house, a good job, a seemingly perfect life.
Then he runs into the Stranger. When he learns a devastating secret about his wife, Corinne, he confronts her, and the mirage of perfection disappears as if it never existed at all. Soon Adam finds himself tangled in something far darker than even Corinne's deception, and realizes that if he doesn't make exactly the right moves, the conspiracy he’s stumbled into will not only ruin lives—it will end them.
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The Stranger
by Harlan Coben, Albert Camus, Chris Van Allsburg, Camilla Lackberg
With the excitement of a perfectly executed thriller and the force of a parable, The Stranger is the ultimate masterpiece from Nobel Prize Winner Albert Camus—one of the most engaged and intellectually alert writers of the past century.
Albert Camus's spare, laconic masterpiece about a murder in Algeria is famous for having diagnosed, with an almost scientific clarity, that condition of reckless alienation and spiritual exhaustion that characterized so much of twentieth-century life.
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The Stranger
by Harlan Coben, Albert Camus, Chris Van Allsburg, Camilla Lackberg
A local woman is killed in a tragic car crash, but it isn’t a clear-cut drunk driving case. The victim’s blood contains high alcohol levels, but she rarely drank a drop. Meanwhile, a reality television show begins shooting in the town, and as cameras shadow the stars’ every move, tempers start to flare. When a party ends with an unpopular contestant’s murder, all eyes turn to the cast and crew—could there be a murderer among them? The ratings spike as the country tunes in to a real-life murder mystery. detective patrik Hedstrom finds himself increasingly unable to focus on the strange circumstances of the first case, but what if that holds the key to a series of other unsolved cases across Sweden? Under the unforgiving media spotlight, Patrik tackles his toughest investigation yet.
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The Stranger
by Harlan Coben, Albert Camus, Chris Van Allsburg, Camilla Lackberg
With the intrigue of a psychological thriller, The Stranger—Camus's masterpiece—gives us the story of an ordinary man unwittingly drawn into a senseless murder on an Algerian beach. With an Introduction by Peter Dunwoodie; translated by Matthew Ward.
Behind the subterfuge, Camus explores what he termed "the nakedness of man faced with the absurd" and describes the condition of reckless alienation and spiritual exhaustion that characterized so much of twentieth-century life.
“The Stranger is a strikingly modern text and Matthew Ward’s translation will enable readers to appreciate why Camus’s stoical anti-hero and devious narrator remains one of the key expressions of a postwar Western malaise, and one of the cleverest exponents of a literature of ambiguity.” —from the Introduction by Peter Dunwoodie
First published in 1946; now in translation by Matthew Ward.
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$17.00
Bad Day at Riverbend
Master artist and storyteller Chris Van Allsburg presents a surrealistic journey into the imagination.
This provocative story within a story leads readers to ponder the realities of fictional worlds and the lives of the characters who populate them.
Riverbend was a quiet little town, the kind of place where one day was just like all the rest and nothing ever happened. Occasionally the stagecoach rolled through, but it never stopped, because no one ever came to Riverbend and no one ever left.
The day the stagecoach stood motionless in the center of town, Sheriff Ned Hardy knew something was terribly wrong. What was the mysterious substance on both coach and horses? It would not come off. Soon it was everywhere in the tidy little village. Something had to be done, and Sheriff Hardy aimed to do it.
From two-time Caldecott winner Chris Van Allsburg, creator of Jumanji and The Polar Express.
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The Mysteries of Harris Burdick
The award-winning author of Jumanji and The Polar Express, Chris Van Allsburg, challenges young readers to use their creativity and imagination in this one-of-a-kind book that asks readers to finish the story.
When author-illustrator extraordinaire Harris Burdick goes missing, all he’s left behind are a series of images with accompanying captions, ideas for separate picture books.
But what can a picture of a nun quietly sitting in a chair floating in a cathedral have to do with a caption that says, “THE SEVEN CHAIRS: The fifth one ended up in France?”
Enticed to come up with their own endings, readers will marvel at the mystery behind these lasting drawings and the charm of an everchanging narrative.
Caldecott medal winner Chris Van Allsburg’s call for readers to write their own stories will enthrall young minds again and again.
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Jumanji
by Chris Van Allsburg, unknown author
The game under the tree looked like a hundred others Peters and Judy had at home. But they were bored and restless and, looking for something interesting to do, thought they'd give Jumanji a try. Little did they know when they unfolded its ordinary-looking playing board that they were about to be plunged into the most exciting and bizare adventure of their lives.
In his second book for children, Chris Van Allsburg again explores the ever-shifting line between fantasy and reality with this story about a game that comes startingly to life.
His marvelous drawings beautifully convey a mix of the everyday and the extraordinary, as a quiet house is taken over by an exotic jungle.
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Jumanji
by Chris Van Allsburg, unknown author
Young Alan Parrish Is Sent To The Jungles Of Jumanji As He Plays A Mysterous Board Game. Twenty-six Years Later He Is Set Free When Two Children Play The Game. Together They Must Outwit The Powerful Game, Before New Problems Occur. Tristar Pictures Presents An Interscope Communications/teitler Film Production, A Joe Johnston Film ; Produced By Scott Kroopf And William Teitler ; Screenplay Jonathan Hensleigh And Greg Taylor & Jim Strain ; Directed By Joe Johnston. Title From Container. Based On The Book By Chris Van Allsburg. Originally Released As A Motion Picture In 1995. Special Features: Secrets & Riddles, The Extreme Book Of Nature; Ancient Diversions; Special Effects Crew Commentary; Animated Menus; Making-of Documentary; Production Design Documentary; Storyboards; Special Effects Featurette; Conceptual Art Galleries; Production Stills. Director Of Photography, Thomas C. Ackerman ; Editor, Robert Dalva ; Music By, James Horner ; Costume Designer, Martha Wynne Snetsinger ; Production Designer, James D. Bissell ; Visual Effects Supervisor, Ken Ralston. Robin Williams, Jonathan Hyde, Kirsten Dunst, Bradley Pierce, Bonnie Hunt, Bebe Neuwirth, David Alan Grier, Patricia Clarkson. Dvd; Region 1; Widescreen (1.85:1) Presentation; Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround. English, (dubbed) French, (dubbed) Spanish Or (dubbed) Portuguese Audio Track With Optional English, French, Spanish Or Portuguese Subtitles; Closed-captioned In English.
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The Sweetest Fig
"These figs are very special," the woman whispered. "They can make your dreams come true." -- Thus Monsieur Bibot, the cold-hearted dentist, was given two ordinary-looking figs as payment for extracting a tooth from an old woman's mouth. Monsieur Bibot refused to believe such nonsense and proceeded to eat one of the figs for a bedtime snack. Although it was possibly the finest, sweetest fig he had ever tasted, it wasn't until the next morning that Monsieur Bibot realized it indeed had the power to make his dreams come true. While dragging his poor dog, Marcel, out for his walk, he discovered that his strange dream from the night before was becoming all too real. Determined to make good use of the second fig, Monsieur Bibot learns to control is dreams. But can he control Marcel? Once again Chris Van Allsburg explores the mysterious territory between fantasy and reality in an uncanny tale that will intrigue readers of all ages.
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Ben's Dream
On a terrifically rainy day, Ben has a dream in which he and his house float by the monuments of the world, half submerged in flood-water.
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The Widow's Broom
Realistic and expressive black-and-white illustrations enhance an eerie story about a widow who helps a fallen witch who overestimated the power of her broom. 100,000 first printing. All ages.
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Just a Dream 25th Anniversary Edition
In this picture book classic, travel with young Walter on a fantastical adventure as he journeys—by way of his bed—into a polluted dreamscape world that wakes him up to our collective and individual environmental responsibility.
Walter does not appreciate the beauty of nature, or understand his role in keeping the planet healthy . . . until a fantastic journey shows him the tragic fate that could befall Earth if humans like him are not more careful.
Chris Van Allsburg (The Polar Express) pairs pitch-perfect narrative with his full-color pastel illustrations, rendering this picture book a story that has stood the test of time.
"Two-time Caldecott Medalist Van Allsburg reaches a new pinnacle of excellence in both illustration and storytelling in his latest work." (Publishers Weekly)
This anniversary edition includes bonus downloadable audio, read by Chris Van Allsburg and a stunning new jacket!
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Polar Express 30th Anniversary Edition: A Christmas Holiday Book for Kids
This beautiful hardcover edition of The Polar Express is the perfect gift for all those—of any age—who believe, come Christmas Eve, that they too will hear the sweet sound of a reindeer’s silver bell. This edition includes a keepsake ornament.
A young boy, lying awake one Christmas Eve, is welcomed aboard a magical train to the North Pole . . .
Through dark forests, over tall mountains, and across a barren desert of ice, the Polar Express makes its way to the huge city standing alone at the top of the world, where the boy will make his Christmas wish.
For millions of readers around the world, this mysterious journey to the North Pole has become a beloved Christmas classic. In this thirtieth-anniversary edition, the inimitable artistry of Chris Van Allsburg is showcased with a bold new jacket design and expanded interior layout.
The Polar Express is a Caldecott Medal winner, and reading the story together is a beloved holiday tradition held by generations of families. It has also become a favorite holiday movie and been translated into stage productions that take place across the United States during the holiday season.
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$21.99
The Wreck of the Zephyr 30th Anniversary Edition
In illustrations so vivid one can feel the whisper of wind and hear the flutter of canvas, depart this world for another to entertain the marvelous possibility of dreams.
Beloved Caldecott-winning illustrator Chris Van Allsburg invites readers to peer over the edge of a cliff to consider the wreck of a small sailboat. Had a churning sea carried the Zephyr up in a storm? Could waves ever have been so impossibly high? And what of the boy who had believed—dared to chase the wind—no matter where it lead?
The winds have shifted once again, and you’re invited to hear the story of the boy and his obsession to become the world’s greatest sailor and a storm that carried them to a place where boats sail on the wind, instead of on the water.
Told in spare text and haunting, full-color pastels, Chris Van Allsburg’s spectral sailboats take impossible flight.
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The Chronicles of Harris Burdick: Fourteen Amazing Authors Tell the Tales / With an Introduction by Lemony Snicket
An inspired collection of short stories by an all-star cast of best-selling storytellers based on the thought-provoking illustrations in Chris Van Allsburg’s The Mysteries of Harris Burdick.
For more than twenty-five years, the illustrations in the extraordinary Mysteries of Harris Burdick by Chris Van Allsburg have intrigued and entertained readers of all ages. Thousands of children have been inspired to weave their own stories to go with these enigmatic pictures. Now we’ve asked some of our very best storytellers to spin the tales. Enter The Chronicles of Harris Burdick to gather this incredible compendium of stories: mysterious, funny, creepy, poignant, these are tales you won’t soon forget.
This inspired collection of short stories features many remarkable, best-selling authors in the worlds of both adult and children's literature: Sherman Alexie, M.T. Anderson, Kate DiCamillo, Cory Doctorow, Jules Feiffer, Stephen King, Tabitha King, Lois Lowry, Gregory Maguire, Walter Dean Myers, Linda Sue Park, Louis Sachar, Jon Scieszka, Lemony Snicket, and Chris Van Allsburg himself.
Van Allsburg's Harris Burdick illustrations have evoked such wonderment and imagination since Harris Burdick's original publication in 1984; many have speculated or have woven their own stories to go with his images. More than ever, the illustrations send off their eerie call for text and continue to compel and pick at the reader's brain for a backstory—a threaded tale behind the image. In this book, we've collected some of the best storytellers to spin them.
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Queen of the Falls
Come meet the Queen of the Falls and witness with your own eyes her daring ride!
At the turn of the nineteenth century, a retired sixty-two-year-old charm school instructor named Annie Edson Taylor, seeking fame and fortune, decided to do something that no one in the world had ever done before—she would go over Niagara Falls in a wooden barrel.
She could remember standing in a park near the falls, hypnotized by the sight and sound, and holding her father’s hand as they took a walk that would lead them closer. That’s what everyone wonders when they see Niagara . . . How close will their courage let them get to it?
This gorgeous, imaginative picture book is from two-time Caldecott winner Chris Van Allsburg, creator of Jumanji and The Polar Express.
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$18.99
Just a Dream
In this picture book classic, travel with young Walter on a fantastical adventure as he journeys—by way of his bed—into a polluted dreamscape world that wakes him up to our collective and individual environmental responsibility.
Walter does not appreciate the beauty of nature, or understand his role in keeping the planet healthy . . . until a fantastic journey shows him the tragic fate that could befall Earth if humans like him are not more careful.
Chris Van Allsburg (The Polar Express) pairs pitch-perfect narrative with his full-color pastel illustrations, rendering this picture book a story that has stood the test of time.
"Two-time Caldecott Medalist Van Allsburg reaches a new pinnacle of excellence in both illustration and storytelling in his latest work." (Publishers Weekly)
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The Misadventures of Sweetie Pie
From two-time Caldecott winner Chris Van Allsburg, creator of Jumanji and The Polar Express, comes a poignant story of one hamster’s struggle with destiny.
Being a pet store hamster isn’t much fun for Sweetie Pie, but life in human homes proves downright perilous. As Sweetie Pie longingly gazes out of his cage at the squirrels frolicking in the trees, he wonders if he’ll ever have the chance to feel the wind in his fur.
Allsburg’s expressive, soft-hued illustrations artfully capture a hamster’s-eye view of the wide and wonderful world where maybe, just maybe, Sweetie Pie could someday run free.
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$18.99
Probuditi!
For his birthday, Calvin’s mother gives him two tickets to see Lomax the Magnificent (magician and hypnotist extraordinaire!). Even though Mama hints that his little sister, Trudy, would love to go, Calvin doesn’t hesitate to invite his friend Rodney instead.
The boys return home greatly impressed by the magician’s performance. When Calvin’s mother goes out, she leaves him in charge of Trudy. It’s a job Calvin dislikes because his sister does not want to be left out of anything. So Calvin and Rodney include her—by making her the first subject for their own hypnotizing machine.
Much to the boys’ surprise, the machine works. But unfortunately they cannot undo what they have done. Trudy is stuck in her trance, convinced she is a dog—panting, drooling, and barking at squirrels. The only problem is, Calvin can’t remember Lomax’s magic word—Probuditi!—so Trudy won’t snap out of it!
The boys are worried and decide to take Trudy to the one man they know can solve their problem—but will Lomax help them? Mama is on her way home . . . Who will have the last laugh?
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The Widow's Broom 25th Anniversary Edition
The enchanting story of a widow who finds herself in possession of an extraordinary broom after a witch falls into her garden.
Some of Minna Shaw's neighbors don't trust her clever broom. "It's dangerous," they say. But Minna appreciates the broom's help. She enjoys its quiet company.
But one day two children get taught a well-deserved lesson by the broom. For her neighbors, this is proof of the broom's evil spirit. Minna is obligated to give up her dear companion.
Chris Van Allsburg, master of the mysterious, brings this tale to life with moody and memorable pictures that will haunt readers long after the book's covers are closed—now in a new edition to celebrate this beloved book's twenty-fifth anniversary.
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El expreso polar
La Nit de Nadal, quan la capacitat dimaginar no té límits, un nen que viatja en tren cap a les terres del Pare Noel rebrà dell, en persona, un regal molt especial. Un nostàlgic text exquisidament il·lustrat per Chris Van Allsburg que ens recorda que els somnis poden complir-se.
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The Polar Express: Christmas Countdown Deluxe Gift Set
A deluxe keepsake edition of the cherished, perennial classic The Polar Express. Features an illustrated countdown calendar, pop-out Christmas tree, and twenty-four ornaments with daily activities, all packaged in a durable slipcase for families to use for years to come.
For millions of readers around the world during the holiday season, reading the classic story of a boy's mysterious journey to the North Pole has become a cherished tradition. Each day during the month of December, remove an ornament from a pocket of the calendar and use it to decorate the accompanying freestanding tabletop Christmas tree. Count down the days to Christmas by completing the activity prompts written on the ornaments, such as “Write a letter to Santa,” “Make hot cocoa,” and “Watch The Polar Express movie.” Keep the fun going and make family memories with The Polar Express all season long!
Inside this festive keepsake edition, readers will find: The Polar Express hardcover storybook 24 decorative press-out ornaments with activities for each day of December Christmas countdown calendar with slots for ornaments Sturdy, easy-to-construct 3-D Christmas tree with notches to hang ornaments
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$34.99