Genre: Modern Fantasy
Awards: Caldecott Medal
Grade Level: K-3
When a young boy who has been having doubts about whether Santa Clause is real or not goes to bed on Christmas Eve, he is awoken by the sound of a train. He boards the train and sets off to the North Pole where he sees all kinds of new things, such as elves, reindeer, and even Santa! The boy gets chosen to open the first gift of Christmas- a bell from Santa himself. He returns home only to find that the bell had fallen out of his pocket. The next morning, he finds a present under his Christmas tree with his bell inside of it. He rings it, but discovers that his parents can not hear the ringing, suggesting that only those who believe in Santa Clause can hear the bell ring.
The illustrations in this story are well deserving of the Caldecott Medal. Allsburg clearly put immense detail into the setting, characters, and interesting landscapes.
This is a great story for students to read around the holidays. It encourages a sense of faith that all children, despite their beliefs, can learn from.
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