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)
Gorgeous illustrations make this one sure to fly off shelves “like the down of a thistle.”
—Kirkus Reviews
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
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.
—Publishers Weekly
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
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