REINDOLPHINS

Dolphins save Christmas in this story of substitute sleigh-pullers by author Brougher and illustrator Santa Cruz (The Arizona Book, 2019, etc.).

Santa’s reindeer are too sick to fly his sleigh, and he’s worried. Luckily, a quick-thinking elf suggests that reindeer aren’t the only animals that Santa could teach to fly. Soon, he’s vetting animal applicants from all over the world. But each has problems: The elephants are too heavy to land on roofs, bunnies multiply, pigs eat up all the cookies, cats take naps, and monkeys and gorillas want health insurance, bananas, and “a treehouse with a pool and a cabana” as compensation. Santa’s on the verge of canceling his Christmas voyage when the shrewd elf points out that dolphins never applied—and, fortunately, the sea creatures come to the rescue. Brougher’s rhymes flow steadily, highlighting different animal characteristics and introducing young readers to a few challenging vocabulary words along the way (“donned,” “procedures”). Many of Santa Cruz’s full-color, photo-based illustrations of animals will appeal to kids, and the elves, which are portrayed by children in costume, are shown to be diverse. Some of the images seem more like clip art than original photography, but Brougher’s rhymes carry the story.

A creative, poetic spin on Santa Claus mythology.