About the Author:
Lisa Wheeler was inspired to write this book after falling in love with the wonderful cats Ponder Goembel portrayed in Sailor Moo: Cow at Sea, their first collaboration. The ocean is the setting for many of Lisa's books, including the acclaimed Seadogs: An Epic Ocean Operetta, illustrated by Mark Siegel. She lives in a small town south of Detroit, Michigan, nearer to freshwater lakes than the sea. Her Web site is www.lisawheelerbooks.com.
Brian Floca is the author and illustrator of The Racecar Alphabet, called "astonishing" in a starred review from Kirkus Reviews, and Five Trucks. He is also the illustrator of Uncles and Antlers by Lisa Wheeler, as well as Poppy by Avi. Mr. Floca had one great-great-grandfather who fought on the side of the Union (for Ohio) during the Civil War, and another who fought for the Confederacy (for Mississippi). When researching the illustrations for this book, he traveled to a Gettysburg battle reenactment. A native of Texas, Mr. Floca now lives in Brooklyn, New York.
From Booklist:
PreS-Gr. 1. With a peppy rhyme and zoom-zoom illustrations, this introduces a whole new crew of Santa's reindeer. A young reindeer has seven uncles, each one unique: "Uncle Dunce from Cameroon / bellows out an Elvis tune." Crazy Uncle Sy is "a fearless sort of guy" who gives "most any stunt a try." Each uncle has a signature characteristic--strong, cool, brave--but the narrator notes they all have one thing in common: she is their favorite niece. When all gather in one place, they are ready for their yearly job: pulling Santa's sleigh. A dynamic read-aloud, this also crackles with humor, especially in the line-and-watercolor illustrations, which feature appropriately clad reindeer, with goofy expressions, skiing, dancing, and driving across the pages. Kids may wonder what happened to Donner and Blitzen et al., but they'll welcome these interlopers. Ilene Cooper
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