Polaris is absolutely NOT the brightest star in the sky. Not even close.
How to actually find it: Find the big dipper (I know you know what it looks like). Take the two stars at the front end of the "cup" part. Draw a line through them "up" and out of the cup until you hit a star. That's it.
I always thought Jupiter was the brightest star. Well, technically, not a star, but still, where I am (Turkey), it always shows up first, and it's insanely bright.