Luther Vaughan Elementary library clerk Kim Bolin distributes candy to students Friday during the school’s “Polar Express” party.

Ledger Staff Writer

With Christmas just around the corner, the book “The Polar Express” has captured the imagination of Luther Vaughan Elementary students.

Students have spent the past week reading and discussing the 1985 children’s book by Chris Van Allsburg about a boy who boards a magical train to the North Pole. The author has won two Caldicott Medals for best illustrations in a children’s book for “Jumangi” and “The Polar Express.”

Students have used “The Polar Express” story as the basis for creative writing assignments and studied the author’s use of figurative language and illustrations.

The Capri Theater opened Wednesday and Thursday mornings so Luther Vaughan Elementary students could enjoy a special showing of “The Polar Express” movie. The school also held a pajama party where scenes from the book were re-enacted.

“We talked with kids about how some scenes in the movie would be different from the book,” Media Center Specialist Lynda Padgett said. “We did an author study in which children looked at Chris Allsburg’s choices of illustrations for the book and the technology that was used in making the movie.”

The Polar Express is the first movie to use a new method called performance capture. It helped make scenes in the movie look like the paintings of the North Pole featured in the book. Filmmakers used sensors to capture the actors’ expressions and movements.

“The Polar Express is a great book and wonderful character education for the kids. It teaches kids to believe in Christmas, their fellow person, and about the importance of friendship,” Guidance Counselor Jeannie Moss said. “There are scenes where the characters have to act selfless and do things to help other people.”