Santa's Missing Reindeer

PreS-K—While the illustration of Santa, an empty harness, and seven reindeer may never change since it is printed on a transparent plastic strip, the places around the world where they search for a missing member of the team certainly can. Threaded through slits in the cardboard, the so-called "magic sliding strip" makes page-turning downright difficult when the book lies flat. Though it is part of the humor, it is a little off-putting to see the sleigh in beach and jungle settings. Rhymes like "Christmas Day is coming /Santa's big day's almost here./But what's this? There is trouble!/Santa's missing a reindeer" are awkward, and the payoff of the wayward animal being found waiting in the North Pole all the time may be a letdown for kids wanting more to seek and find.—Joanna K. Fabicon, Los Angeles Public Library