I love a heartfelt, emotional Christmas picture book. I’ve been collecting them most of my life — my mom has gotten me a new one every year since I was 5 — and while some are silly and some are classics, a few have stood out because of their remarkable and emotional stories, and overall gorgeous aethetics.
Dasher by Matt Tavares is one of those remarkable and emotional books, filled with beautiful illustrations. It tell the story of the reindeer Dasher, and how she became the first reindeer to help pull Santa’s sleigh.
The story is such a refreshing and unique take on the mythology of Santa’s reindeer, and I love that it’s rooted in a familiar history involving circus animals. It’s a sweeping, impactful story that reminds us that the at the heart of all the Christmas hullabaloo is love and family.
Dasher is available now, and is the perfect book to add to your holiday collection.
Here is the official synopsis:
From the celebrated creator of Red and Lulu comes the story of a brave little doe who meets Santa and changes Christmas forever.
Dasher is an adventurous young reindeer with a wish in her heart. She spends her days with her family under the hot sun in a traveling circus, but she longs for a different life — one where there is snow beneath her hooves and the North Star above her head. One day, when the opportunity arises, Dasher seizes her destiny and takes off in pursuit of the life she wants to live. It’s not long before she meets a nice man in a red suit with a horse-drawn sleigh — a man named Santa. And soon, with the help of a powerful Christmas wish, nothing will be the same.
Novel Novice 
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