(3) K-3 Illustrated by Heather Holland. The original reindeer doesn't like the "crown" of antlers the Maker assigns her (they look "like a lopped tree"). But generations later, antlers save the day when Santa's sleigh, pulled by reindeer, nearly falls through the ice. The book's title is misleading--this is really the story of how reindeer came to value their antlers--but the tale is fresh and the mural-like watercolor illustrations exquisite.

Reviewer: Nell Beram