Olive, the Other Reindeer [Hardcover]

Vivian Walsh (Author), J.otto Seibold (Illustrator)

Book Description

Grade Level: P and up | Series: Olive

Olive is merrily preparing for Christmas when suddenly she realizes "Olive... the other Reindeer... I thought I was a dog. Hmmm, I must be a Reindeer!" So she quickly hops aboard the polar express and heads to the North Pole. And while Santa and the other reindeer are a bit surprised that a dog wants to join the their team, in the end Olive and her unusual reindeer skills are just what Santa and his veteran reindeer team need. Colorful graphic illustrations accompany this zany dog story from the well-known author and artist team, Vivian and J.otto Seibold. Adorable Olive and her hilarious adventures are sure to make anyone's Christmas merry.

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

You won't understand the premise of this book if you've never sung "Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer," so let's start there. The carol begins, "Rudolph the red-nosed reindeer / had a very shiny nose / and if you ever saw it, / You would even say it glows / All of the other reindeer / used to laugh and call him names / They never let poor Rudolph / join in any reindeer games." If you notice that "all of the other reindeer" sounds suspiciously like "Olive, the other reindeer," you've discovered the source of Olive's adventures! Olive is a dog. But when she hears this holiday tune, a bit of an identity crisis sets in. She decides she must be a reindeer and heads to the North Pole to see if she can join Santa's reindeer team.

Olive gets to the North Pole just in time. Comet (the biggest reindeer) uses a piece of extra ribbon to tie Olive to the reindeers' elaborate harness system. As the sleigh rose high in the sky, "Olive was surprised it was so easy to fly." (The sight of a dog dangling beneath Santa's sleigh will reduce readers to charmed giggles.) Despite Olive's lack of flying ability and the unfortunate mishap caused by the reindeers' distraction, she, in her inherent dogginess, proves to be useful as both a flute retriever and a cookie smeller.

J. otto Seibold and Vivian Walsh have written and illustrated four splendid books for children: Mr. Lunch Takes a Plane Ride, Mr. Lunch Borrows a Canoe, Monkey Business, and Free Lunch. Publisher's Weekly's assessment of the creators' work in Free Lunch also rings true for Olive, the Other Reindeer: "Seibold and Walsh specialize in street-smart art and convoluted story-lines ... Seibold's illustration style [is] a sort of cubism for the '90s. His computer-generated, airbrush-smooth characters resemble digital icons, but their asymmetrical quality lends them a hand-drawn warmth. The spreads are abuzz with comical details." This very silly, endearing book is sure to delight your favorite kids--and adults, too. (All ages)

From Kirkus Reviews

Instead of the lyric, ``All of the other reindeer,'' Olive the pup hears something else on the radio: ``Olive, the other reindeer.'' She concludes that she is to be Santa's canine helper, so heads up to the North Pole, to join the Christmas Eve flight. Dangling from a ribbon tied to Comet's reins, Olive looks more like a stray ornament than a reindeer, but her doggy talents of chewing, sniffing, and fetching rescue Father Christmas from multiple mishaps. The story is as slight as they come, but the art sings a song all its own. Seibold's gregarious cartoons create an avocado-and-tomato colored cartoon Christmas in which little details shine: In a scene of flutes falling out of the sky and into a snow bank, a cutaway shows a surprised bunny awaking to find its burrow pierced by a silver shaft. Children will like the sophisticated art, even without a tight storyline. (Picture book. 4-8) -- Copyright ©1997, Kirkus Associates, LP. All rights reserved.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 40 pages
• Publisher: Chronicle Books (October 1, 1997)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0811818071
• ISBN-13: 978-0811818070
• Product Dimensions: 9.5 x 7.6 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 11.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (48 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #426,702 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

24 of 25 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars a modern Christmas story, simple and innocent, December 27, 2000

By 

christinemm - The Thinking Mother (Houston Texas USA) - See all my reviews
(TOP 500 REVIEWER)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Olive, the Other Reindeer (Hardcover)

Cute, modern story about a dog named Olive who thinks he is "Olive the other reindeer" and thinks he should be up at the North Pole helping Santa. Story is short and innocent. This story is nothing like the video (see my separate review of that). There is no negativity in this book, no hurt feelings, no "bad guys", no threat of "no Christmas", (unlike the video). Olive saves the day: the problem is that there is a hole in Santa's sack and there are several times where toys or candy fell out of the sack and Olive helps retrieve them. A very happy little story. I recommend it for those looking for a cute, innocent modern story about Christmas. Illustrations are very unique and there is a lot going on in the illustrations. If you love the book, please preview the video before buying the video as the video is very different. If you disliked the video, give the book a chance as it is different in content and tone.

13 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Very funny Christmas story for all ages, November 27, 1998

By A Customer

This review is from: Olive, the Other Reindeer (Hardcover)

Olive, the Other Reindeer is a very funny Christmas story suitable for young and older children too. As an elementary school teacher, I picked out this book to read to my class, because it has so many interesting elements, from its computer illustrations to the many sound words it contains. It's a wonderful lesson on how individual differences can be an asset, and dog-lovers in particular will chuckle all the way through.

25 of 29 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Very cute, November 15, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Olive, the Other Reindeer (Hardcover)

Olive the so called raindeer is so cute. I'm eleven and Ilovethat book! So did my mom! I love the pictures.No matter how oldyou are and if you like dogs you need to read this book.