Dasher (Dasher)

by Matt Tavares (Author) Matt Tavares (Illustrator)

Dasher (Dasher)
Reading Level: 2nd − 3rd Grade
Series: Dasher

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.

"Gorgeous illustrations make this one sure to fly off shelves "like the down of a thistle." --Kirkus Reviews

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Kirkus


Publishers Weekly

In this prequel to the Rudolph story, Tavares explains how Santa ended up with his original reindeer crew. Young Dasher and her reindeer family languish in a circus, displayed as zoo animals under the hot sun by day and pulling the menagerie's wagons at night. "The air was crisp and cold," says Mama, recalling her birthplace under the North Star, "and the ground was always covered with a cool blanket of white snow." Seizing an opportunity to escape, Dasher follows the North Star, and finds Santa and Silverbell--an affable, plodding horse who struggles to pull the heavy load: "I'm sorry, Santa. The sleigh is just so heavy this year." Happily for all, a bit of magic assists gift delivery, and Santa's gratitude leads to granted wishes and a reindeer reunion. Tavares's classically painted figures are lit by moonlight and falling snow in this cozy antidote to holiday hullabaloo. Ages 4-8. (Sept.)

Copyright 2019 Publishers Weekly, LLC Used with permission.

School Library Journal

K-Gr 2 A magical origin story of Dasher, the first of Santa's flying reindeer. Dasher, the youngest reindeer in J.P. Finnegan's Traveling Circus and Menagerie, dreams and wishes for freedom, to be at the North Pole where the ground is covered in a cool blanket of snow. One night a storm helps Dasher escape and, while wandering in the woods, she meets Santa with his sleigh and horse, Silverbell. Dasher helps the pair deliver Christmas presents and, when the night is over, she finds that her wish has come true, she has made it home to the North Pole. The story opens with a detailed and expansive layout of the circus and menagerie, hot and dusty and crowded, clearly not a comfortable home for a reindeer family. Light is used to excellent effect in all of the illustrations. The twinkling North Star guides Dasher through the forest when she first escapes and on a later page radiant beams of moonlight illuminate Santa and Dasher when they meet for the first time. The text is formal and reserved and has the feel of a folktale or myth. On several pages the text is set in black typeface on top of color illustrations, which makes it difficult to read and is incongruous to the rest of the story, where text is set in large white boxes with decorative elements. The illustrations mirror the stately and calming text and are rarely dynamic, with one notable exception occurring when the escaping form of Dasher breaks through the white border and runs off the page entirely. VERDICT The overall message is one of family and togetherness, made possible by the magical powers of Santa Claus.-Laken Hottle, Providence Community Library, RI

Copyright 2019 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

Review quotes

Tavares excels at Christmas stories (Red & Lulu, The Gingerbread Pirates), and young readers are apt to inhale every word of this yarn. As an illustrator, Tavares is a master of dramatic light, emotion and mood, as well as deep, vibrant color, whether he's depicting Dasher's family penned in at the circus or Santa's sleigh magically lifting up into the air. Dasher is sure to join the stacks of enduring Christmas favorites read by families year after year.
—BookPage (starred review) 

Richly colored illustrations in watercolor, gouache, pencil, and pastel delineate the history of how Dasher volunteered to pull Santa's sleigh and help him bring joy to children on Christmas. Readers will enjoy this lush new holiday tale that focuses on Santa's original reindeer.
—Booklist Online 

Dasher's personality is clearly conveyed through her fervent wish for a better life, and her love of her family...and of carrots. Tavares's painterly watercolor, gouache, pencil, and pastel illustrations reflect the pleasantly nostalgic tone used throughout this Santa's-reindeer origin story.
—The Horn Book

Matt Tavares's Dasher is magical. Kids are going to love this story for decades to come.
—Colby Sharp, co-founder of Nerdy Book Club
Matt Tavares
Matt Tavares is the author-illustrator of the New York Times best-selling picture book Dasher, as well as Red and Lulu, the graphic novel Hoops, and several sports biographies, including Becoming Babe Ruth and Growing Up Pedro. He is also the illustrator of Twenty-One Steps: Guarding the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier by Jeff Gottesfeld, The Gingerbread Pirates by Kristin Kladstrup, 'Twas the Night Before Christmas by Clement C. Moore, and Over the River and Through the Wood by L. Maria Child, among many other picture books. Matt Tavares lives in Ogunquit, Maine.
Classification
Fiction
ISBN-13
9781536201376
Lexile Measure
590
Guided Reading Level
-
Publisher
Candlewick Press (MA)
Publication date
September 10, 2019
Series
Dasher
BISAC categories
JUV039140 - Juvenile Fiction | Social Themes | Self-Esteem & Self-Reliance
JUV002290 - Juvenile Fiction | Animals | Deer, Moose & Caribou
JUV017010 - Juvenile Fiction | Holidays & Celebrations | Christmas & Advent
Library of Congress categories
Christmas stories
Christmas
Reindeer

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