The Reindeer Wish

September 14, 2015
The husband-and-wife team of Evert and Breiehagen follow The Christmas Wish and The Tiny Wish with a third story featuring a girl named Anja, portrayed in Breiehagen’s photographs by their daughter. Though this is a Christmas title like the first book, readers get to see Anja’s northern home through the seasons as she cares for a baby reindeer that has been lost. Once again, Breiehagen’s photos are the major draw, and he shows the reindeer, Odin, growing rapidly as he accompanies Anja on fishing trips, visits her school à la Mary’s nursery rhyme lamb, and eventually escorts her to Santa’s house at the North Pole, where Odin will live. It’s a holiday treat for animal lovers, especially since Anja winds up replacing Odin, the pet she never knew she wanted, with a fluffy white puppy, the pet she always wanted. Ages 3–7.

September 1, 2015
The creators of The Christmas Wish (2013) and The Tiny Wish (2015) return with their daughter for another extravagantly photographed Nordic adventure. Only-child Anja is lonely, so she writes weekly letters to Santa asking for a sibling or, preferably, a puppy. Taking a break after skiing one Christmas Eve, she learns from the cardinal that introduced her to Santa Claus the previous year of an abandoned reindeer, which she takes home and names Odin. Together they grow and flourish in the spectacularly beautiful Norwegian countryside. When, one day, Odin tears up while watching a herd of wild reindeer pass, Anja knows it's time to say goodbye. Rather than set him free, she takes him to Santa to join his "herd of magic reindeer"-and is given a puppy as consolation. While blonde, chubby-cheeked Anja is cute as a button, particularly in her various Norwegian folk costumes, and the countryside is breathtaking, the freshness that marked her first outing has definitely worn off. Too many of the compositions look like photo collages, damaging the verisimilitude, and the syrupy text is both overlong and poorly paced. Exactly how Odin came to be abandoned is never addressed, and Anja's problematic adoption of this wild creature is skirted. Committed fans of the first two books may be pleased, but this comes across as more coffee-table self-indulgence on the part of the creators than a picture book with broad child appeal. (Picture book. 4-8)

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October 1, 2015

K-Gr 2-Anja, from A Christmas Wish (2013) and A Tiny Wish (2015, both Random), is back for a third adventure, bringing the same stunning photography of Nordic winter scenes and adorable animal and child interactions. The wish this time is for a puppy, though this longing gets sated when the talking cardinal from the first book leads her to a foundling baby reindeer, whom she names Odin. A montage of playful moments of their time together follows, until Anja realizes that Odin should probably be with other reindeer. Luckily, Santa has an open spot on his team. With a similar quest to the North Pole and the "Was it all just a dream?" ending, this book will appeal to fans of the previous books, who will find much comfort in the familiarity. VERDICT A suitable addition.-Joanna Fabicon, Los Angeles Public Library

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