The Wild Christmas Reindeer [Paperback]

Jan Brett (Author)

Book Description

Age Level: 4 and up | Grade Level: P and up

Little Teeka thought she had to be firm with the reindeer to get them ready for Santa's important flight, but when her bossy yelling only got their antlers tangled up, she knew she had to try something different. "Beautifully conceived and finely wrought." -- Booklist (starred review) "Brett's precise, glowing illustrations, drawing on Swedish folk art, make this a beguiling Advent calendar of a book." -- Kirkus Reviews "[A] sweet Christmas fantasy that shows Brett at her best." -- Publishers Weekly "This tale with its humorous close-ups of stubborn reindeer and a sharp child protagonist should prove popular at story hours." -- School Library Journal

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

"Teeka was excited. And a little afraid. This year Santa had asked her to get the reindeer ready to fly on Christmas Eve." Teeka, an Arctic girl who lives "in the shadow of Santa's Winterfarm," knows it will be a struggle to round up the reindeer who'd roamed wild on the tundra since last Christmas. Reindeer training is not easy for the hard-working young girl: "Teeka looked at the tangled reindeer, once so bold and free, and began to cry. 'It's my fault,' she said. 'I've spent all my time yelling at you, instead of helping. I'm sorry.' And one by one she gave each reindeer a hug." On December 24, Teeka--who's finally learned how to be a gentle, effective trainer--brings her antlered team to meet Santa and all the elves who have loaded the sleigh. Teeka is asleep on the last page of the book, as Santa and his well-trained reindeer--Bramble, Heather, Windswept, Lichen, Snowball, Crag, Twilight, and Tundra--fly past her window for a night of magical surprises. (Ages 3 to 8) --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

From Publishers Weekly

Little Teeka's attempts to train Santa's reindeer for their Christmas ride meet with disaster until she realizes that she needs to work with the animals in a new way. "Tomorrow," she says, "no yelling, no screaming, and no bossing, I promise," and with her patient teaching, on Christmas Eve the "wild reindeer rise up together and carry the sleigh off into the night." Brett's characteristic, richly detailed borders depict the activity at Santa's workshop as each day brings Teeka closer to Christmas. As with The Mitten , Brett makes use of Ukranian motifs--colorful embroidered costumes, festive garlands, carvings and cunning toys decorate every page. The reindeer themselves--sporting names like Lichen, Tundra and Bramble--provide most of the comic action in this sweet Christmas fantasy that shows Brett at her best. Ages 4-8.
Copyright 1990 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 4 and up
  
• Paperback: 32 pages
• Publisher: Puffin (October 5, 1998)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0698116526
• ISBN-13: 978-0698116528
• Product Dimensions: 10 x 10.3 x 0.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 11.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (18 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #279,751 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #12 in Books > 4-for-3 Books > Children's Books > Authors & Illustrators, A-Z > ( B ) > Brett, Jan

More About the Author

Jan Brett is the author of the New York Times bestselling Gingerbread Friends, The Three Snow Bears, and The Mitten, as well as many other classics. She lives in Norwell, Massachusetts.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

13 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A refreshing change from the "standard" Christmas stories, November 19, 2002

By 

breyergal "breyergal" (Seattle) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Wild Christmas Reindeer (Paperback)

This was the first Jan Brett book in our family library. From the first reading, this book became one of our very favorite Christmas stories.

Follow Teeka's adventures as she works furiously to prepare Bramble, Heather, Windswept, Lichen, Snowball, Crag, Twilight, and Tundra for their Christmas Eve outing. Don't be surprised to hear your children murmur "that's not going to work" as Teeka finds that being bossy isn't always the best way to get the job done.

As with all Jan Brett books, the illustrations are captivating. As a special treat, each page is framed with Christmas illustrations containing "extra" pictures relating to the story.

If you've grown tired of reading about Rudolph and friends, you and your children can snuggle up with this book and learn about the "wilder" side of Santa's reindeer.

15 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent story for my 3-year old, November 18, 1998

By A Customer

This review is from: The Wild Christmas Reindeer (Hardcover)

I thought this was a wonderful story with exquisite illustrations. My 3-year old was enthralled with it, and checks it out from the library whenever she can. It's a good story about responsibility and treating animals with understanding, as well as getting ready for Santa's sleigh ride.

14 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Beautiful pictures full of color and detail. Great story., November 19, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: The Wild Christmas Reindeer (Hardcover)

My 5 year old daughter brought this book home from Kindergarten one day. We read it at bedtime and were both amazed at the wonderful illustrations. Any child who loves animals will enjoy this book. It also has a nice change from the normal Dasher, Dancer, Prancer, Vixen thing. These reindeer have more interesting North Pole sort of names. We loved it!