Article: Illustrators get their day in the gallery; For artists such as Chris Van Allsburg, children's books are anything but child's play.(FEATURES)(ARTS)

Byline: Timothy Cahill Correspondent of The Christian Science Monitor

AMHERST, MASS. -- When actor Tom Hanks and director Robert Zemeckis sought to bring the classic "The Polar Express" to the big screen, their chief challenge was more visual than literary.

Author and artist Chris Van Allsburg's 1985 book tells the story of a boy who rides a fantasy railroad to the North Pole. For the filmmakers, capturing the essence of Mr. Van Allsburg's painterly illustrations proved to be complex, requiring pricey digital animation. They determined that the trouble and expense were necessary, because much of the book's enduring appeal lies in its haunting pictorial ...

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