Dashing through the Snow: A Canadian Jingle Bells

Canadian Christmas Carols

by Helaine Becker, Werner Zimmermann (Illustrator)

Porcupine and his Canadian friends are back in this companion to the #1 National Bestseller A Porcupine in a Pine Tree!
When Sasquatch upsets Santa's sleigh, everyone gets the wrong presents. But that doesn't stop them from having a great time!

Join in the merriment and mayhem as a wild (and familiar) cast of Canadian characters take over the Christmas holidays once again.

With the same jolly rhymes and infectious energy that made A Porcupine in a Pine Tree an instant classic, this Canadian twist on "Jingle Bells" is the must-have, must-give book for the holidays.

Genres: Christmas, Picture Books, Canada, Childrens

32 pages, Hardcover

First published October 1, 2014

About the author

Helaine Becker has written over 70 books, including the #1 National bestseller, A Porcupine in a Pine Tree,and its sequel, Dashing through the Snow, Sloth at the Zoom, Dirk Daring, Secret Agent, the Looney Bay All-Stars chapter book series, non-fiction including Counting on Katherine, Worms for Breakfast and Zoobots (all Junior Library Guild Selections), Monster Science, You Can Read, Lines Bars and Circles, and Boredom Blasters, plus many picture books and young adult novels. She also writes for children’s magazines and for children's television. Her show Dr. Greenie's Mad Lab was a finalist at MIP.com Junior in Cannes.
She has won the Lane Anderson Award for Science Writing for Children twice,once for The Big Green Book of the Big Blue Sea and once for The Insecto-Files, and the Picture Book of the Year Award from the Canadian Booksellers Association for A Porcupine in a Pine Tree. She has also won three Silver Birch awards and a Red Cedar award.

Helaine Becker holds U.S. and Canadian citizenship. She attended high school in New York, university in North Carolina (Go Blue Devils!!!!) and now lives in Toronto with her husband and dog, Ella. She has two really handsome sons.

Reviews

[Manybooks · Rating 4 out of 5]

By the same author/illustrator duo (Helaine Becker and Werner Zimmermann) who brought us a Canadian version of the Twelve Days of Christmas, this Canadian adaptation of Jingle Bells is similarly fun and delightful, with the symbol of the Canadian wilderness, a beaver, dashing through the snow, not on a sleigh this time, but of course on a Ski-Doo, to meet up with Santa and receive gifts for moose, polar bears, puffins and other denizens of the Canadian fauna (and even the legendary Sasquatch, or Bigfoot, makes a cameo appearance). An entertaining and joyful romp through the winter snow, and while the lyrics might be a bit awkward at times, both text and illustrations bring smiles and hilarity, and another exuberant Canadian rendition of a well-known and often sung Christmas classic. And furhermore, even though Dashing Through the Snow is most definitely a Christmas themed book, it is also in NO WAY religious in scope and manner (it is therefore for all intent and purposes secular, and all about fun and exchanging gifts, ending with a bright pop-up Christmas tree and fun party for everyone). Highly recommended and not just for children either!

[Rebecca Upjohn · Rating 5 out of 5]

Delightful, funny and a book you want to hug.

[Jaclyn · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this book! Definitely buying it for our house!

[Lana Kamennof-sine · Rating 3 out of 5]

Picked up this board book as one that would hopefully capture the attention of our youngest granddaughter & help our slightly older one read solo.
It's a fun one

[Karin · Rating 3 out of 5]

A cute rendition of Jingle Bells. Many of the same animals/ characters are the same in her books, so Deck the Halls is almost the same but with a different song. The difference in this book: they are on a ski-doo- invented in Canada!

[Luciana · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a delight to read and sing and to celebrate a truly Canadian Christmas with all our native animals!

This is the first time I've looked at this book as I really enjoyed the Twelve Days Of Christmas by the same author. I can now add this one as part of my favourite Christmas repertoire.

[Joy Keil · Rating 5 out of 5]

Hilarious...I just love these books! Great lyrics, great illustrations.

[Louis-Nicolas Dolbec · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5/5

[Karin · Rating 5 out of 5]

Probably more fun for parents than kids, but kiddo liked the illustrations and chance to sing rather than just read.

[Elizabeth Gosse · Rating 4 out of 5]

A hilarious take on the traditional Jungle Bells. We loved reading this book to our little one.
I may or may not have assumed my father's accent while reading this book!

[Luella Lee · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very Canadian. I think young kids would love this story.

[Samantha · Rating 3 out of 5]

Pictures are fun, kids would probably love it! Felt inclined to sing along to "Jingle Bells" tune but difficult as not true to format.

[Katiem · Rating 3 out of 5]

If you are not singing this at break neck speed to the tune of Jingle Bells, then you are doing it wrong.

[Marie-Pier Dodier · Rating 3 out of 5]

Sur l'air de la chanson. Dans la nuit polaire.

[Shelley · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great Canadian book for all ages! Worth the read no matter what age!

[KaitandMaddie · Rating 5 out of 5]

I enjoyed singing this to the kids.

[Steven R. McEvoy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Six years ago as a family we first read A Porcupine in a Pine Tree: A Porcupine in a Pine Tree: A Canadian 12 Days of Christmas, and loved it. It has remained a favorite of the children. This year my youngest brought home from her school library both Deck the Halls: A Canadian Christmas Carol and Dashing through the Snow: A Canadian Jingle Bells for us to read together. We dug out the original and read these three back to back twice. Because I review books my youngest has insisted that we review both the ones she brought home.

We have mixed ratings for these books:
My youngest daughter (9) 5/5 Stars
My son (11) 4/5 Stars
Me (50ish) 4/5 Stars

They are fun books, and it is nearly impossible to read them without singing them. In fact, my youngest brought them home so that we could sing them, and her brother could play it on the piano. For me the first one was wonderful, and is very popular by the 5 different editions including a box set with a stuffie of the porcupine. This one only one edition and a French edition. They are fun and the kids love them but maybe over worked.

It was fun to see an appearance of Sasquash, and Santa. The kids loved the mixed-up presents. The rhymes are whimsical and amusing, though some feel forced. The illustrations are wonderful. And having the three books side by side and comparing the illustrations is fun for the children.

Overall a good book, just not as good as the first one.

Read the review on my blog Book Reviews and More and reviews of other books by Helaine Becker and Werner Zimmermann.

[Pam · Rating 3 out of 5]

Cute story set on Christmas Eve in northern Canada. The animals sing their own version of "Jingle Bells" and enjoy their presents from Santa.

[Maia · Rating 4 out of 5]

Lovely fun for the holiday season. We loved the animals and their gifts. Be forewarned: Parents who don't enjoy reading the repetitive rhymes, that is the pattern that this text follows (based on the green grass grew all around)

[Martha Garcia · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good story, loved the images :))

[Bailey Randolph · Rating 5 out of 5]

So incredibly cute. A must-have book for the Christmas season!

[Carolyn · Rating 5 out of 5]

Entertaining book for children, one that parents and grandparents will like to read again and again.

[Melissa Ward · Rating 5 out of 5]

Just as good as A Porcupine in a Pine Tree! We're reciting this one for the Christmas concert this year!

[Tracy Schillemore · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is probably funnier for the adult reading the book that the children. The words of jingle bell are all changed to reflect Canadian culture. Of course the word eh is featured.

[Robyn · Rating 3 out of 5]

This wasn’t done as well as a porcupine in a pine tree. I love children’s books that rhyme but some of the verses sounded... forced? In an effort to rhyme.

[Patricia · Rating 4 out of 5]

Une bonne adaption d'une chanson favori. Le contre est drôle et était bien aimer par led enfants.