Dasher by Matt Tavares

"You might be surprised to hear that there was a time, long ago, when Santa's sleigh was pulled not by a team of reindeer but by a single horse, named Silverbell."

So how did Santa come to find his reindeer? How did this happen?

The reindeer family part of the J.P. Finnegan Travelling Circus and Menagerie. They were not very well cared for and all of them longed to live in a better place with crisp cold air, cool white snow and freedom. Mama tells her stories every evening to Dasher under the light of the North Star. Dasher likes the way the children are kind to the circus animals but one night, when the gate swings open, she does not hesitate. Out she goes looking for snow and freedom with the North Star as her guide.

You have probably guessed she stumbles upon Santa and Silverbell. The sleigh is so heavy because there are so many children in the world who believe in the magic. Dasher steps forward and offers to help but little does she realise she will be pulling the sleigh up in the sky. 

At the end of the magical night Santa asks Dasher if she has a wish.  

"I love it here ... but I miss my family. I wish we could be together."

"Late that night, as Santa and his new team of reindeer soared around the world, he called them by name for the very first time. 'Now Dasher! Now Dancer! Now, Prancer and Vixen. On, Comet! On Cupid! On, donner and Blitzen!"

I visited a very large (chain) city bookstore this week and I was shocked to discover they did not have a huge display of children's picture books celebrating Christmas. I did find the shelves of Christmas books (two of them jam packed) but it was in a different part of the store not near the other picture books but instead hidden in another section where they keep the children's non fiction books and graphic novels for younger readers. Such a missed opportunity or is this political correctness gone mad?

When I buy I book I love to look at the book shop price sticker because they often include the date a book arrived in their store. Dasher has been languishing on the shelves since November 2020. Of course we were buried in COVID for the 2020 Christmas but I cannot help wonder if this book had been put out on a Christmas book display surely it would not have sat around for 2 years! Kirkus agree:

Gorgeous illustrations make this one sure to fly off shelves 

“like the down of a thistle.”

You can see inside Dasher on Matt Tavares web page. In this interview with Nerdy Book Club, Matt Tavares talks about his book. 

I did some searching to see what other book stores in the city were offering in their Christmas Picture book range.  I discovered this new book illustrated by Bernadette Watts - it looks like a wonderful (248 pages) book to read each night with your family.

And here a few others that I might find next Christmas:

Matt Tavares has two other Christmas books:

 

The Robin and the Reindeer by Rosa Bailey illustrated by Carmen Saldaña

It is the first winter for the little reindeer. The herd are moving south. She stops along the way to marvel at the tall trees and the snow covered landscape. The herd do not stop and the youngest reindeer finds herself all alone with no idea which way to go. Night is coming and the snow keeps falling. Little reindeer remembers her mother's advice to bury herself in the snow as a way to stay warm. Setting off again she sees a flash of red. It is a small robin.

"Will you be my friend? ... I need one right now."

Luckily the robin knows the way south to the cave where the herd have gone. He lands on her nose - a bright red beacon to light the way. As they travel on their journey takes a magical turn and the final pages filled with northern lights are sure to enchant you.

I was on the hunt for some new Christmas books to gift this year. The silver sparkles on the cover and the soft focus illustrations inside immediately caught my attention. This is a perfect Christmas book to add to your personal or school collection. It is a book that is sure to become a favourite to read each year during the festive season. 

Image Source: Booktopia

In this interview Carmen talks about her work and processes.  Here are some other books illustrated by Carmen Saldaña:

I would follow The Robin and the Reindeer with The Fox and the Star.