Dasher Can't Wait for Christmas (Dasher)

by Matt Tavares (Author) Matt Tavares (Illustrator)

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

Matt Tavares's sequel to the New York Times best-selling Dasher is a joyful ode to helping others--and another holiday classic in the making.

"If you ever get lost, just look for the North Star."

With only one sleep left before Christmas Eve, Dasher can't contain her excitement for her favorite holiday. With the sound of Christmas carols on the breeze and twinkling lights radiating from a nearby city, she sneaks off to visit the festivities. But as night deepens and snow starts to fall, Dasher realizes she can no longer spot the North Star in the sky to lead her home. Will the kindness of a child, an unexpected gift, and a dose of Christmas spirit get her back in time to help guide Santa's sleigh?

The New York Times best-selling creator of Dasher has crafted another delightful journey featuring everyone's favorite reindeer doe, in a story full of giving, joy, and holiday magic.

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Kirkus

Christmas-book lovers should dash to add this one to their shelves.

Publishers Weekly

A reindeer too impatient to wait for Christmas Eve experiences adventure in Tavares's suspenseful sequel to Dasher. With only one sleep to go before Christmas Eve, Dasher the reindeer investigates what sounds like Christmas carols. "I'll be back before they even know I'm gone," she says with confidence before flying off, locating people of various skin tones lifting their voices in a town covered with Christmas lights. But a blizzard keeps Dasher from using the North Star to find her way home, and she stops in front of a strange house. A tender encounter with a pale-skinned child sets the animal on the right path--in the nick of time. In art that makes the most of landscapes, Taveres offers narrative tension ("Tonight is Christmas Eve! You've got to get home"), personal stakes ("She was exhausted. And hungry"), and all the picturesque snow that a holiday story requires. Ages 4-8. (Sept.)

Copyright 2023 Publishers Weekly, LLC Used with permission.

School Library Journal

PreS-Gr 3--A young reindeer named Dasher cannot wait until Christmas Eve. The night before, she hears music that reminds her of Christmas carols and decides to explore. When gliding through the night sky, Dasher spies some dazzling Christmas lights on the horizon and soon approaches a small town. Charming houses are decorated for the holiday, and an enormous tree in the center of town is trimmed with colorful lights and topped with a twinkling star that reaches towards the sky. Eventually, Dasher knows she should head back, but she cannot locate the North Star through the falling snow. After a while, the hungry and exhausted doe rests near a little Christmas tree in a front yard and wonders how she'll get back to the North Pole in time to fly with Santa and the other reindeer. Only a special act of kindness will assist in her return. This story is another adventure for Dasher, and it does not disappoint. Her excitement for Christmas Eve is almost childlike; instead of counting down the days until Christmas, Dasher counts the number of "sleeps" left. The illustrations may appear simple, but they are not to be underestimated. The reindeer look incredibly authentic. Dasher displays subtle expressions, from inquisitive, to exhausted, and then grateful as she leaves her helper. Children of all ages will enjoy this special story for years to come. VERDICT A must-have for the holidays.--Barbara Spiri

Copyright 2023 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

Review quotes

Tavares returns with another Christmas treat for readers. . . . This happy ending fits the book's overall gentle, celebratory tone, which is enhanced by painterly digital illustrations in a realistic style that somehow feels simultaneously nostalgic and current. . . . Christmas-book lovers should dash to add this one to their shelves.
—Kirkus Reviews 

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
9781536230130
Lexile Measure
-
Guided Reading Level
-
Publisher
Candlewick Press (MA)
Publication date
September 05, 2023
Series
Dasher
BISAC categories
JUV039060 - Juvenile Fiction | Social Themes | Friendship
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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