OH NO! REINDEER FLU!

An adorable team of enthusiastic huskies helps Santa Claus in this picture book from debut author Egar and illustrator Campeau (Mon guide nature, 2019, etc.).

Santa just doesn’t know what to do when the elves tell him the reindeer are sick. Rudolph pledges to pull the sleigh himself, but he has a fever, so Santa needs another plan. First, a “famous daredevil pilot,” a woman with windblown black hair, offers to transport Santa, but the plane won’t fit all the toys. Then local huskies Romeo and Sheba call for their friends to help. Several other boisterous huskies arrive to pull Santa’s sleigh, and one irrepressible pup, Frost, is determined to be the most helpful dog of all. The mission goes smoothly despite one small hiccup when Frost tries to catch a falling star, and Santa’s very grateful. The ending here is no surprise—Christmas is saved once again—but the dogs steal the show. Campeau’s action-packed, painterly color images show the pups in energetic states, whether they’re playing with polar bears or engaging in a game of tag. The few slightly challenging vocabulary words (“halted,” “harnesses”) are clear from context, and the simply structured sentences will help newly independent readers feel confident.

A lively holiday tale that may make youngsters wonder why Santa ever used reindeer in the first place.