a small package for the boy under the tree, behind all of the other gifts. The boy opens the box and discovers that it contains the bell, delivered by Santa along with a note explaining that he found it on the seat of his sleigh. When the boy rings the bell, both he and his sister marvel at the beautiful sound. His parents, however, are unable to hear the bell and remark that it must be broken. The book ends with the following line: Development Van Allsburg based the story on a mental image of a child wandering into the woods on a foggy night and wondering where a train was headed. At the premiere of the film, Van Allsburg stated that Pere Marquette 1225, a class N1 2-8-4 Berkshire steam locomotive formerly owned by Michigan State University and now owned by the Steam Railroading Institute in Owosso, Michigan, was the inspiration for the story line. He played on the engine as a child when it was on display and was inspired by the number 1225, which to him was 12/25 – Christmas Day. The real 1225 was used to create the animated image of the engine. The engine is fourteen and a half feet tall and 101 feet long and weighs 400 tons. It is one of the biggest steam locomotives in operation in the United States. All the locomotive sounds were recorded from the 1225 in 2002. The only exception to this is the whistle, which was recorded from Sierra Railway No. 3. Reception In 1986, The Polar Express was awarded the Caldecott Medal and appeared on the New York Times bestseller list. By 1989, a million copies had been sold – more each year than the last – and the book had made the bestseller list four years in a row. Based on a 2007 online poll, the National Education Association listed the book as one of its "Teachers' Top 100 Books for Children". It was one of the "Top 100 Picture Books" of all time in a 2012 poll by School Library Journal. Film adaptation The Polar Express is a 2004 American computer-animated film based on the book. Written, produced, and directed by Robert Zemeckis, the film features human characters animated using the live action performance capture technique. The film stars Daryl Sabara, Nona Gaye, Jimmy Bennett, Michael Jeter, Eddie Deezen and Tom Hanks. The film