Climb Aboard The Polar Express with Author Chris Van Allsburg as He Talks About the Book That Inspired the Animated Film at the Donnell Library Center, November 14

New York, NY, November 14, 2004 - The New York Public Library rings in the 2004 holiday season with a very special program. Chris Van Allsburg, renowned author of the beloved holiday classic The Polar Express (Houghton Mifflin), will host the program “Meet the Author and Illustrator: Chris Van Allsburg.” Audiences are invited to attend on Sunday, November 14, from 11:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m., as Van Allsburg discusses his inspiration for The Polar Express and the process of turning it into a movie. Timed to coincide with the release of the animated film based on his book, the program will be held at The Donnell Library Center auditorium, located at 20 West 53rd Street, between Fifth and Sixth Avenues, and will be followed by a book signing. In addition, the Bronx Zoo’s Wildlife Players will perform “The Polar Express Experience,” a theatrical presentation of the story, with audience participation. Admission is free.

Chris Van Allsburg’s Caldecott Medal Award-winning book, The Polar Express, about a boy who boards a mysterious train bound for the North Pole, will be released as a major motion picture on November 10. When asked about his inspiration for the story, Van Allsburg reveals that he had a single image in mind: “A young boy sees a train standing still in front of his house one night. The boy and I took a few different trips on that train, but we did not, in a figurative sense, go anywhere. Then I headed north, and I got the feeling that this time I’d picked the right direction, because the train kept rolling all the way to the North Pole. At that point the story seemed literally to present itself.”

Mr. Van Allsburg’s other books include The Widow’s Broom (Houghton Mifflin), Jumanji (Houghton Mifflin) and his most recent Zathura (Houghton Mifflin).

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Contact: Debbie Bujosa, 212-704-8600.