In what’s become an annual tradition here at Mystic and Noank Library, the model train set has returned for another holiday season in the Children’s Room.

Staff members are happy to play conductor while visitors watch the train make its circuit to the North Pole and back. The train set’s longevity is a testament to the power of children’s literature. Published over 30 years ago in 1985, “The Polar Express” continues to enchant new generations of kids, as parents who first read it as kids now read it to their own children.

That’s part of the magic of stories, and of libraries: they’re passed down and cherished over the years.

The train set was originally donated over a decade ago by Barry Boodman, a long-time library supporter and former Board of Trustees president who passed away earlier this year.

Though the train on display has changed over the years, the joy that it brings to our Children’s Room has not. The library is forever grateful to Barry for this very special attraction and honored to carry on the tradition he started so many years ago.

The Polar Express will remain set up in the Children’s Room through the first week of January.

Erik Caswell is the adult services librarian at Mystic and Noank Library.