Olive, the Other Reindeer
By Patricia Tauzer,
Common Sense Media Reviewer
Common Sense Media Reviewers
Modern holiday classic stars a spunky, imaginative dog.
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Based on 5 parent reviews
Surprisingly fun story even if you're not a kid
What's the Story?
When Olive overhears people singing along with the Christmas song, "Rudolph the Red-nosed Reindeer," she mishears the words. Instead of "all of the other reindeer," she hears "Olive, the other reindeer." From then on, she is convinced that the song is about her. Coupled with her own big imagination, that is enough to set off a long chain of events that include joining Santa's team, almost causing his sleigh to crash, collecting flutes in the snow, and ultimately saving Christmas and leading Santa safely back to the North Pole.
Is It Any Good?
From the lovable main character and her very original story to the uniquely crafted illustrations, this book is fun, fun, fun. Every kid will relate to Olive, even though she is a silly little dog. She is cute and friendly, a canine with a huge heart and an imagination to match. And, while those are the characteristics that lead her on her unlikely adventure, her other abilities, those common to dogs, are the ones that make her a hero in the end. She sniffs out the falling gumdrops and saves everyone, fetches flutes in the snow and, following the scent of baking cookies, leads the sleigh back home through the fog.
Though Olive's story is rather silly and very far-fetched, it's playfully humorous. And the illustrations, which Seibold draws on the computer, complement it perfectly. Light-hearted and expressive, his contemporary style adds color and originality to the whole Christmas scene.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about Olive's confusion. Why did she suddenly think she was a reindeer? Is this anything like the original Rudolph story? How? How is it different? Families will want to sing the old favorite "Rudolph, the Red-nosed Reindeer" -- with changes of course.
Book Details
- Authors: Vivian Walsh , J. Otto Seibold
- Illustrator: J. Otto Seibold
- Genre: Holiday
- Book type: Fiction
- Publisher: Chronicle Books
- Publication date: October 1, 1997
- Publisher's recommended age(s): 5 - 7
- Number of pages: 40
- Last updated: July 12, 2017
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