How the Reindeer Got Their Antlers - Softcover

Geraldine McCaughrean

3.55

56 ratings by Goodreads

9781843628460: How the Reindeer Got Their Antlers

Softcover

ISBN 10: 1843628465 ISBN 13: 9781843628460

Publisher: Orchard/Watts Group, 2005

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The reindeer think they look ugly with their knobbly antlers and so hide themselves away in the cold, frozen North - away from the stares and laughter of the other animals. Then, one winter day, Father Christmas needs help to pull his heavy sleigh. Of all the animals in the world, only the shy reindeer step forward. In return, Father Christmas gives them a very special, magical gift, the gift of flight on Christmas Eve. A wonderful Christmas story from Geraldine McCaughrean, with pretty, seasonal pictures by Heather Holland.

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About the Author:

Geraldine McCaughrean is an award-winning storyteller and has retold many well-known stories including The Orchard Book of Greek Myths, The Orchard Book of Greek Gods and Goddesses and The Orchard Book of Stories from the Ballet. Her novels for Children have won the Guardian Children's Book Prize, the Carnegie Medal and the Whitbread Children's Award. She lives in Berkshire with her husband and daughter. Heather Holland studied theatre design at The Central School of Art and since graduating has been involved in visual theatre using masks and large puppets. She lives in Gloucestershire with her husband and daughter.

From Booklist:

Ages 6-8. After the animals are made, they quarrel about who should be king, but an angel gives them all crowns: fur for the lion, a comb for the rooster, and antlers for the reindeer. The reindeer is horrified by her twisted, treelike crown and flees to the far north, where she and her descendants live for thousands of years. One winter day, a bearded fellow in a red coat turns up with a sleigh much too heavy to pull alone. Hoping Santa won't find them too ugly, the reindeer volunteer to help. When the sleigh slips on the ice, the deer use their antlers to save the day. Seeing the ruined broken antlers, Santa gives the deer a gift better than a golden crown: the power of flight on Christmas Eve. The pictures are clearly inspired by the theatrical masks and puppets that illustrator Holland works with; flat patterns and repeated shapes--hearts, diamonds, stars, etc.--are used to fine decorative effect. A pleasant holiday pourquoi story by the indefatigable McCaughrean, this makes a nice addition to the solstice canon. GraceAnne DeCandido
Copyright � American Library Association. All rights reserved

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