Review, The Christmas Reindeer by John Donald O'Shea

The Christmas Reindeer by John Donald O’Shea tells the story of two children who set out to save Christmas by finding Santa’s lost team of reindeer. Lest anyone wonder, Rudolph is definitely one of the reindeer, and he would lead the sleigh. The book alludes to the tradition of stories where toys come to life, often to save the day. The author has channeled such classics as The Velveteen Rabbit, The Nutcracker, Coppelia, Pinocchio, Toy Story, and The Dolls’ House with his blow mold Christmas characters who live in Santa Land and who come to life after hours. The two heroes, Jack and Mary, are six year old twins. As modern children, they email their letters to Santa. Mary receives a reply from Santa that Christmas is cancelled because his reindeer have disappeared. Santa’s reply refers her to an app and their heroic journey to Santa Land to find the reindeer begins. Along the way, they encounter the cleverly named Poo-lár-is, who is a small talking polar bear, a wizard named Warnock, and an evil witch named Maladonna, who is, perhaps, just an ancient, misunderstood child. Dragons and elves, even pirates take part along the way as well. The plot alludes to timeless Christmas TV specials, but incorporates the modern world of email and computers. The illustrations are colorful and engaging. Their primary colors will attract juvenile and adult readers, but also enhance the story. They have the glow of Christmas bulbs. The dialog is skillfully done and fast paced; it seems to increase the action that drives the plot. Here, it takes a Christmas community to save Christmas, and with other stories of its genre, The Christmas Reindeer shares a heartfelt message that Christmas is more than “stuff”, that its spirit of generosity and happiness is truly worth saving.