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Dasher #1
Dasher: How a Brave Little Doe Changed Christmas Forever
From the celebrated creator of Red and Lulu comes the story of a brave little doe who meets Santa and changes Christmas for ever.
Dasher is an adventurous young reindeer with a wish in her heart. She spends her days with her family under the hot sun in a travelling circus, but she longs for a different life - one where there is snow beneath her hooves and the North Star above her head. And one day, when the opportunity arises, Dasher seizes her destiny and takes off in pursuit of the life she wants to live. It's not long before she meets a nice man in a red suit with a horse-drawn sleigh, a man named Santa. And soon, with the help of a powerful Christmas wish, nothing will be the same...
Dasher is an adventurous young reindeer with a wish in her heart. She spends her days with her family under the hot sun in a travelling circus, but she longs for a different life - one where there is snow beneath her hooves and the North Star above her head. And one day, when the opportunity arises, Dasher seizes her destiny and takes off in pursuit of the life she wants to live. It's not long before she meets a nice man in a red suit with a horse-drawn sleigh, a man named Santa. And soon, with the help of a powerful Christmas wish, nothing will be the same...
40 pages, Paperback
First published September 10, 2019
79 people are currently reading
1083 people want to read
About the author
Matt Tavares
34 books140 followersMatt Tavares was born in Boston, and grew up surrounded by books and reading. From the time he was very young, his mother read to him every night, and his family made countless trips to the public library. Years later, as a studio art major at Bates College, he rediscovered his love for picture books, and decided to try to make his own.
For his senior thesis project, Matt wrote and illustrated a story called Sebastian's Ball, which eventually became Zachary's Ball, Matt's first published picture book. Zachary's Ball went on to win a Massachusetts Book Award Honor, and was named one of Yankee Magazine's 40 Classic New England Children's Books.
Since then, Matt has published eighteen more books and has won several awards, including three Parents' Choice Gold Awards, an Orbis Pictus Honor, and two ALA Notable books. His artwork has been exhibited at the Museum of American Illustration, the Brandywine River Museum, and the Mazza Museum of Picture Book Art.
When Matt's not working in his studio on his latest book project, he travels the country speaking (and drawing) at schools, libraries, conferences, and bookstores. He has presented at the Smithsonian American Art Museum, the Eric Carle Museum, the White House Easter Egg Roll, and he's even done a few book signings at Fenway Park.
Matt lives in Maine with his wife, Sarah, and their two daughters.
For his senior thesis project, Matt wrote and illustrated a story called Sebastian's Ball, which eventually became Zachary's Ball, Matt's first published picture book. Zachary's Ball went on to win a Massachusetts Book Award Honor, and was named one of Yankee Magazine's 40 Classic New England Children's Books.
Since then, Matt has published eighteen more books and has won several awards, including three Parents' Choice Gold Awards, an Orbis Pictus Honor, and two ALA Notable books. His artwork has been exhibited at the Museum of American Illustration, the Brandywine River Museum, and the Mazza Museum of Picture Book Art.
When Matt's not working in his studio on his latest book project, he travels the country speaking (and drawing) at schools, libraries, conferences, and bookstores. He has presented at the Smithsonian American Art Museum, the Eric Carle Museum, the White House Easter Egg Roll, and he's even done a few book signings at Fenway Park.
Matt lives in Maine with his wife, Sarah, and their two daughters.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 346 reviews
December 20, 2021
4.5⭐
A magical Christmas story. I'm so into the story that I had to grab some kleenex, for the happy ending. This story takes place back when Santa uses his horse Silverbell for his sleigh. There are so many gifts to give to the children and they became heavy for one horse. While taking a break in the forest, Santa meets a lost reindeer named Dasher who offered her help. A heartwarming story, LOVED it!
The audio is wonderful and I highly recommend it. I also borrowed a kindle format that has beautiful art, but I had to read it on a web browser. Everything was too small on the Kindle app, strange.
Don't let a one-star review about animal abuse dissuade you from reading this book (Dasher escaped from a circus following a north star). It has a wonderful message about love, giving, acceptance, and family. 🎄🎅🦌
Update: While waiting at a cash register at Target, I saw the hard copy. It's beautiful and of great quality. No kiddies in the family to gift this to... Almost bought it for ME. 😍
A magical Christmas story. I'm so into the story that I had to grab some kleenex, for the happy ending. This story takes place back when Santa uses his horse Silverbell for his sleigh. There are so many gifts to give to the children and they became heavy for one horse. While taking a break in the forest, Santa meets a lost reindeer named Dasher who offered her help. A heartwarming story, LOVED it!
The audio is wonderful and I highly recommend it. I also borrowed a kindle format that has beautiful art, but I had to read it on a web browser. Everything was too small on the Kindle app, strange.
Don't let a one-star review about animal abuse dissuade you from reading this book (Dasher escaped from a circus following a north star). It has a wonderful message about love, giving, acceptance, and family. 🎄🎅🦌
Update: While waiting at a cash register at Target, I saw the hard copy. It's beautiful and of great quality. No kiddies in the family to gift this to... Almost bought it for ME. 😍
December 8, 2019
This is a beautiful book. What a nice idea for a story, too.
We know Rudolph and his story of guiding the sleigh, but what about before that. How did Santa get the team of Reindeer? This is that story. Dasher and her family were held in a traveling circus and she didn’t like it. One night the pen is left open and she follows the North Star where she finds Santa and silverbell, his horse. The sleight gets heavier each year with Santa having more children to visit and Silverbell needed breaks until Dasher offers to help pull the sleigh.
It really is a lovely story and a little different for the Christmas season, which is so nice to have. I have certainly taken for granted that Santa simply had 8 reindeer.
The niece saw this cover and she thought it looked lovely. She wanted to read it with us. The nephew thought it was weird that Santa had a horse at first pulling his sleigh. He still loves Santa Claus and is very excited about Christmas. He took this story as gospel and he gave this 5 stars. The niece thought it was a good story too. She thought the artwork was beautiful. She gave this 3 stars.
We know Rudolph and his story of guiding the sleigh, but what about before that. How did Santa get the team of Reindeer? This is that story. Dasher and her family were held in a traveling circus and she didn’t like it. One night the pen is left open and she follows the North Star where she finds Santa and silverbell, his horse. The sleight gets heavier each year with Santa having more children to visit and Silverbell needed breaks until Dasher offers to help pull the sleigh.
It really is a lovely story and a little different for the Christmas season, which is so nice to have. I have certainly taken for granted that Santa simply had 8 reindeer.
The niece saw this cover and she thought it looked lovely. She wanted to read it with us. The nephew thought it was weird that Santa had a horse at first pulling his sleigh. He still loves Santa Claus and is very excited about Christmas. He took this story as gospel and he gave this 5 stars. The niece thought it was a good story too. She thought the artwork was beautiful. She gave this 3 stars.
December 10, 2021
A lovely Christmas story about a young reindeer called Dasher who escapes a travelling circus and finds a much more fulfilling vocation. It's a great job for a reindeer, it's exciting, you see the whole world, you make children very happy and you have the rest of the year off! Wonderful work if you can get it!
December 23, 2020
This wonderful picture book reveals how Santa gained his reindeer's after young Dasher had escaped from a travelling circus to help fly his sleigh.
The young foe is desperate to travel to the North Star and takes the opportunity when the gate to her pen had been left open.
"Now Dasher! now, Dancer! now, Prancer and Vixen!
On, Comet! On, Cupid! on, Donner and Blitzen!
I really liked how the story incorporated Clement Clarke Moore's famous poem as Dasher's gets her wish of being with her family again as Santa fetches them to help with his increasingly heavy sleigh.
It's such a nice simple story that's guaranteed to be firm festive family favourite for years to come.
The young foe is desperate to travel to the North Star and takes the opportunity when the gate to her pen had been left open.
"Now Dasher! now, Dancer! now, Prancer and Vixen!
On, Comet! On, Cupid! on, Donner and Blitzen!
I really liked how the story incorporated Clement Clarke Moore's famous poem as Dasher's gets her wish of being with her family again as Santa fetches them to help with his increasingly heavy sleigh.
It's such a nice simple story that's guaranteed to be firm festive family favourite for years to come.
January 12, 2020
A book to arouse the senses with illustrations to delight your eyes, descriptions to tickle your ears (after all you will want to read this out loud), and a story to engage your imagination.
December 8, 2019
Dasher tells the story of how Santa got his reindeer.
That's pretty much it, really. Animal welfare is hinted at, but the main thrust of the story is the building of the legend. Dasher and her family start out in a circus. Mama tells them stories about their true home, a place where the North Star is always overhead. One night, Dasher has the opportunity to escape, and takes it. After getting lost, she runs across Santa and his horse, Silverbell, who is having a hard time pulling the sleigh. So Dasher offers to help... and the legend is born.
The writing is really strong and the illustrations have a relaxed, dreamy quality to them. I can see this as the sort of book where everyone sits down with a cup of hot chocolate and listens to the tale.
Overall, this is a lovely Christmas offering. I'd recommend it to those who enjoy books like The Polar Express.
Quotable moment:
That's pretty much it, really. Animal welfare is hinted at, but the main thrust of the story is the building of the legend. Dasher and her family start out in a circus. Mama tells them stories about their true home, a place where the North Star is always overhead. One night, Dasher has the opportunity to escape, and takes it. After getting lost, she runs across Santa and his horse, Silverbell, who is having a hard time pulling the sleigh. So Dasher offers to help... and the legend is born.
The writing is really strong and the illustrations have a relaxed, dreamy quality to them. I can see this as the sort of book where everyone sits down with a cup of hot chocolate and listens to the tale.
Overall, this is a lovely Christmas offering. I'd recommend it to those who enjoy books like The Polar Express.
Quotable moment:
December 15, 2020
Book Reviewed on www.whisperingstories.com
Dasher is the story of how a brave little Doe changed Christmas forever. Dasher was working at a travelling circus in horrible conditions with her family. She hated it there with the horrible circus owner. Her Mama told her a story about how she used to live in a place where the snow covered the ground and the North Star was above her head. Dasher longed for that life.
One night she managed to get out of her pen. She ran and ran for hours following the North Star but it never seemed to get any closer. Confused and alone she heard a noise and came across Santa and his horse Silverbell who pulled his sleigh. The sleigh was too heavy just for one horse this year and Silverbell was struggling. Dasher offered to help and was surprised when she was no longer running on the ground but was flying in the sky.
This is the story of how the reindeer came to pull Santa’s sleigh. It is heart-warming and beautiful and I loved every minute of it. The full-page illustrations are simply divine and make the story so enjoyable.
It has a magical feel to it and makes you feel all warm and fuzzy whilst reading it. You will find yourself routing for Dasher and her family, hoping that they manage to get away from the travelling circus and to live in a place that they love and have better conditions.
The book is not only the perfect festive read but it includes a message within to all children about family love and having courage. With its relaxing tones, this would make a sweet bedtime read for Christmas Eve.
Dasher is the story of how a brave little Doe changed Christmas forever. Dasher was working at a travelling circus in horrible conditions with her family. She hated it there with the horrible circus owner. Her Mama told her a story about how she used to live in a place where the snow covered the ground and the North Star was above her head. Dasher longed for that life.
One night she managed to get out of her pen. She ran and ran for hours following the North Star but it never seemed to get any closer. Confused and alone she heard a noise and came across Santa and his horse Silverbell who pulled his sleigh. The sleigh was too heavy just for one horse this year and Silverbell was struggling. Dasher offered to help and was surprised when she was no longer running on the ground but was flying in the sky.
This is the story of how the reindeer came to pull Santa’s sleigh. It is heart-warming and beautiful and I loved every minute of it. The full-page illustrations are simply divine and make the story so enjoyable.
It has a magical feel to it and makes you feel all warm and fuzzy whilst reading it. You will find yourself routing for Dasher and her family, hoping that they manage to get away from the travelling circus and to live in a place that they love and have better conditions.
The book is not only the perfect festive read but it includes a message within to all children about family love and having courage. With its relaxing tones, this would make a sweet bedtime read for Christmas Eve.
October 19, 2019
I'm a sucker for children's Christmas stories and this one is very well done. The story and some of the illustrations are a bit dark, but it eventually becomes more light and magical. A simple and sweet take on how Santa came to have eight reindeer to pull his sleigh.
December 22, 2019
I have a collection of Christmas picture books that I love to read aloud to my kids every year. I'm always on the look out for new books to add. This year, one of our favorite additions is Dasher: How a Brave Little Doe Changed Christmas Forever by Matt Tavares. The illustrations are stunning and the story is so sweet. I know this is one my children will be requesting me to read over and over.
December 22, 2019
Dasher was a young doe who dreamed of freedom, and of following the North Star far away from J.P. Finnegan's Traveling Circus and Menagerie, where she and her reindeer family were kept captive. Late one winter night, when the pen was left open, she seized her chance, following the star with hope in her heart. Eventually she met a kind man in a red suit - a holiday gift-giver whose horse was getting too old and tired to pull his sleigh. It was then that Dasher stepped in to help out, setting in motion events that would free her family and lead them to their destiny as Santa's reindeer...
The second Christmas picture-book I have read from author/illustrator Matt Tavares, following upon his lovely New York-based Red and Lulu , Dasher is a beautiful origin story for Santa's reindeer team, long before the 'events' chronicled in that classic song, Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer. I enjoyed following along as Dasher made her bid for freedom, and found a calling more meaningful and joyous that anything she could have imagined. Not unexpectedly, given that this is Tavares, the artwork is simply gorgeous, full of color and an adept use of light and shadow. Highly recommended to all young Santa lovers, or to any child who has wondered about Santa's reindeer.
The second Christmas picture-book I have read from author/illustrator Matt Tavares, following upon his lovely New York-based Red and Lulu , Dasher is a beautiful origin story for Santa's reindeer team, long before the 'events' chronicled in that classic song, Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer. I enjoyed following along as Dasher made her bid for freedom, and found a calling more meaningful and joyous that anything she could have imagined. Not unexpectedly, given that this is Tavares, the artwork is simply gorgeous, full of color and an adept use of light and shadow. Highly recommended to all young Santa lovers, or to any child who has wondered about Santa's reindeer.
December 27, 2019
This is actually one of the cutest Christmas children picture books I've ever read. This book tells the story of how Santa got his reindeer. The story starts off with Santa and his horse, Silberbell, who is having a hard time pulling the sleigh since it got a lot heavier.
Meanwhile, the reindeer Dasher and her family live in a circus. They don't like it there though. Animal welfare is hinted, which I think is amazing, especially in a children's book.
One night, Dasher has the opportunity to escape and - of course - takes it. Since her mother always told her stories about their true home, a place where the North Star is always overhead, she decides to just follow the North Star. At some point, when she thinks she got lost, she runs across Santa and Silberbell and she offers to help. And that's how the legend of Santa and his eight reindeer is born.
After they spent all night delivering Christmas presents they go back to the North Pole and while Dasher loves it there with all the snow and the freedom, she misses her family. So Santa and Dasher go back to save the rest of her family.
It's a really heartwarming and magical story, especially if you are just as obsessed with Christmas as I am. Plus the illustrations are absolutely gorgeous!
I can recommend this book to everyone who loves Christmas, children or not. Absolutely loved it.
Thank you Walker Books for sending me a review copy of this book.
Meanwhile, the reindeer Dasher and her family live in a circus. They don't like it there though. Animal welfare is hinted, which I think is amazing, especially in a children's book.
One night, Dasher has the opportunity to escape and - of course - takes it. Since her mother always told her stories about their true home, a place where the North Star is always overhead, she decides to just follow the North Star. At some point, when she thinks she got lost, she runs across Santa and Silberbell and she offers to help. And that's how the legend of Santa and his eight reindeer is born.
After they spent all night delivering Christmas presents they go back to the North Pole and while Dasher loves it there with all the snow and the freedom, she misses her family. So Santa and Dasher go back to save the rest of her family.
It's a really heartwarming and magical story, especially if you are just as obsessed with Christmas as I am. Plus the illustrations are absolutely gorgeous!
I can recommend this book to everyone who loves Christmas, children or not. Absolutely loved it.
Thank you Walker Books for sending me a review copy of this book.
November 17, 2023
ma tko je ovome dao manje od 5?? savrseno!
Opet sam dijete. :)
Opet sam dijete. :)
November 4, 2019
Dasher is Matt Tavares’s charming new Christmas picture book. The reindeer famously known as Dasher had a completely different kind of life in her early years, but when Santa needs help one Christmas Eve, Dasher takes on a new role and becomes an important part of Santa’s team. Tavares’s storytelling is straightforward with just enough dramatic touches for it to stand up to inevitable repeated readings as Dasher becomes a new Christmas tradition. The biographer-historian tone that Tavares brings to both the narratives and illustrations in his excellent baseball picture books is also used here to provide realistic credibility to this story's more fantastical elements.
One of the most satisfying aspects of Dasher is how Tavares subtly crafts it to smoothly interface with other Christmas favorites, including “Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer,” Clement Moore’s “A Visit from St. Nicholas (‘Twas the Night before Christmas),” and the bright beckoning star in the Biblical nativity story.
Tavares’s artwork almost tells the story on its own. The inviting pictures convey different kinds of outdoor light, from sun-dappled days to moonlit nights. Tavares also engagingly varies the viewer’s perspective from page to page with low angles alternating with overhead and eye-level angles, and close-ups offset with more distant scenes.
Dasher’s positive messages about courage, family, and home make it a worthwhile addition to any Christmas picture book collection.
One of the most satisfying aspects of Dasher is how Tavares subtly crafts it to smoothly interface with other Christmas favorites, including “Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer,” Clement Moore’s “A Visit from St. Nicholas (‘Twas the Night before Christmas),” and the bright beckoning star in the Biblical nativity story.
Tavares’s artwork almost tells the story on its own. The inviting pictures convey different kinds of outdoor light, from sun-dappled days to moonlit nights. Tavares also engagingly varies the viewer’s perspective from page to page with low angles alternating with overhead and eye-level angles, and close-ups offset with more distant scenes.
Dasher’s positive messages about courage, family, and home make it a worthwhile addition to any Christmas picture book collection.
December 29, 2022
Delightful
Heartwarming story on how Dasher became one of Santa's reindeers. The story is short and delightful. The illustrations are simple yet telling.
In addition, the audiobook is lovely, and a nice addition.
Heartwarming story on how Dasher became one of Santa's reindeers. The story is short and delightful. The illustrations are simple yet telling.
In addition, the audiobook is lovely, and a nice addition.
December 3, 2022
FULMINE La prima renna di Babbo Natale di Matt Tavares. Una magica storia che ci insegna a sognare con il cuore e a inseguire questi sogni! Da 4 anni ❤ Recensione a cura di Daniela Bucci https://ilmondodichri.com/fulmine/
#fulmine #nordsudedizioni
#fulmine #nordsudedizioni
November 19, 2021
wonderful book
What a beautiful Christmas story. The history behind Dasher and Santa’s reindeer was so sweet and adorable. The illustrations were just stunning. Highly recommend.
What a beautiful Christmas story. The history behind Dasher and Santa’s reindeer was so sweet and adorable. The illustrations were just stunning. Highly recommend.
January 13, 2025
A lovely, gentle telling of how Dasher became one of Santa’s reindeer. Readers might need to read between the lines but overall the story is sweet and calming. I read the ebook and those illustrations were lovely.
January 30, 2021
I love this book. It has to be my favourite so far! The illustrations are absolutely beautiful and the text is wonderful. It's longer than a lot of picture books , so it's nice to have a more substantial Christmas story to read with younger children that can still hold their attention.
November 26, 2023
I have loved this book since it was released. Finally going to purchase it. Absolutely gorgeous art and words by Matt Tavares.
November 22, 2019
Tavares' illustrations are beautiful. Very classic feel. The natural light provided by the North Star and the moon in the dark wintery scenes is really well done. The story was clever, but I was expecting something a little more magical if I'm being honest. The cover alone makes this book a fantastic Christmas decoration!
September 2, 2019
A magical book that will transform dreams, hopes and wishes, to a happily ever after. Santa's slay was first pulled by a horse named Silver Bell. Dasher and her family were owned by a mean circus owner, who treated them badly. Dasher dreamed of following the North star and finding a location with snow. Dasher found an opportunity to escape and followed the North star, where she was magically surprised to find a jolly man in a red suit, in need of making children happy. She loved children also, since they treated her nice and gave fed her carrots, her favorite. It's a story that will inspire you to dream and fight for that dream. Children will learn how Santa came about having all the wonderful reindeer's that guide his slay on Christmas Eve. This book will bring magic and a Christmas miracle.
October 25, 2019
A new Christmas book! Matt Tavares' picture book about how Dasher may have joined the Santa's sleigh team is not only endearing but also beautifully illustrated. I love the warmth and joy that are found on these pages as Dasher sneaks out of his pen at the circus to meet up the jolly old man, Santa Claus, and pull his sleigh. This will be a fun one to share this holiday season!
December 4, 2019
Beautiful picture books and the holiday season have always complemented each other in my life. As a child, I treasured books. As a classroom teacher, I shared my love of books with my eager students. As an adult, author, and blogger, my passion for beautifully-written and illustrated books knows no end.
'Dasher', written and illustrated by award-willing author-illustrator Matt Tavares, can best be described using two of my favorite words--exquisite and extraordinary.
This story is told from the perspective of a young reindeer doe named Dasher. She and her family were members of a traveling circus in the late nineteenth century. Nowhere is it stated that this is the time period of the story, but the illustrations depict the dress and realia from that era.
Dasher loves her family, and she especially loves the stories her mother tells her at night about days gone by and the magic of the North Star. These stories become meaningful later on in the book as Dasher strikes out on her own in search of freedom and happiness.
Younger children will enjoy the story because of the adventure and surprises Dasher finds along the way. Middle-graders will enjoy the story because of the deeper meanings threaded throughout the narrative about yearning for a dream to come true, family, love, freedom, hope, and joy.
I highly recommend this beautiful book to children and families alike. I found it to be a unique, inspiring tale about some common Christmas icons.
I borrowed this book from the new book shelf in the children's collection at the local public library.
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'Dasher', written and illustrated by award-willing author-illustrator Matt Tavares, can best be described using two of my favorite words--exquisite and extraordinary.
This story is told from the perspective of a young reindeer doe named Dasher. She and her family were members of a traveling circus in the late nineteenth century. Nowhere is it stated that this is the time period of the story, but the illustrations depict the dress and realia from that era.
Dasher loves her family, and she especially loves the stories her mother tells her at night about days gone by and the magic of the North Star. These stories become meaningful later on in the book as Dasher strikes out on her own in search of freedom and happiness.
Younger children will enjoy the story because of the adventure and surprises Dasher finds along the way. Middle-graders will enjoy the story because of the deeper meanings threaded throughout the narrative about yearning for a dream to come true, family, love, freedom, hope, and joy.
I highly recommend this beautiful book to children and families alike. I found it to be a unique, inspiring tale about some common Christmas icons.
I borrowed this book from the new book shelf in the children's collection at the local public library.
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December 3, 2019
I suspect readers only need to see the cover of Matt Tavares' new story of a favorite Christmas character to want to read it. A young reindeer named Dasher lived and worked with his family for J.P. Finnegan's Traveling Circus and Menagerie and he loved the story his mother told of her early life where it was always cold and snowy. There you only had to look up to see the North Star. Where they were was warm and that star seemed so far away. With night scenes that seem to jingle with magic (like that cover), readers learn just how Dasher met Santa and ended up helping deliver toys one Christmas with Santa's horse, Silverbell. You'll need to find the book to discover what's next, but it holds my favorite line, spoken by Dasher: "You're not going to believe this part." This will become a Christmas favorite, I'm sure!
January 16, 2021
Absolutely beautiful.
December 6, 2019
Gorgeous illustrations and a new classic about the “other” reindeer. I would give it 4 stars but my almost-six-year old adored it, so it gets a well-deserved bump. He was invested in the story, he understood it, and he definitely felt the magical holiday spirit upon reading it.
December 9, 2019
How great to have a fresh Christmas story with a female lead!
December 4, 2019
For fans of The Polar Express! This is a beautifully illustrated story that explains just how Santa came to have reindeer pulling his sleigh.
December 18, 2024
Dasher is a swell, simple Christmas read that provides the origin story to Santa's reindeer. Dasher escapes from a carnival, meets Santa (who is using a horse to pull his sleigh), helps Santa, rescues his family, et voila: reindeer pull the sleigh forevermore.
The art is better than the storytelling, which is clear but not always magical.
The art is better than the storytelling, which is clear but not always magical.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 346 reviews