When Santa is injured by a falling toy train on Christmas Eve, Mrs. Claus phones the Easter Bunny to save the day. This Easter Bunny is a slightly wacky fellow with more than a passing resemblance to another white rabbit who is always late. A new team of reindeer are anxious about their first Christmas Eve, and they don’t take kindly to the sudden change in drivers or to the Easter Bunny’s lack of knowledge of proper toy-delivery etiquette. (He follows Santa’s written directions too literally in Amelia-Bedelia fashion and places the gifts in the wrong place, such as under a tree outside, instead of under the Christmas tree.) After the Easter Bunny is slightly injured in the line of duty, the reindeer realize that they too must pitch in save the holiday by individually flying bags of gifts to each house. A fast pace, broad humor and silly puns add to the effort, as do the super-sized illustrations in neon-bright, jewel tones, but the overall effect is rather frenetic. (Picture book. 3-6)
