A Little Reindeer

A Little Reindeer is not a terrible board book; it’s just not a good board book, and it’s likely not one that public libraries would choose to add to their collections. The above excerpt reproduces the text from the opening spread and sets up the question that readers expect to find answered in the pages that follow: So, why is Christmas Eve the most important time of the year for this little reindeer? The answer is disappointing. It turns out that “... my mom and dad help pull Santa’s sleigh!”, but “I need to get a little bigger before I can help pull the sleigh.” As well, the little reindeer also needs to learn how to put her/his harness on in addition to perfecting flying. Nothing much really happens in this brief board book, and the closing spread of A Little Reindeer simply finds the little reindeer watching Santa’s sleigh flying away.

Instead of being the normal rectangular shape, A Little Reindeer has been “shaped”, but the reason for doing so is unclear as the shape is nothing recognizable. The cartoon-like illustrations are busy, perhaps too busy. For example, in the book’s opening line of text, the word “stable” is used, a word which is likely new for the book’s intended audience. However, locating a “stable” could be challenging for a child as the spread offers a village.