Jan Brett's illustrations are lovely as ever in this story about a young elven girl who gets frustrated while training Santa's reindeer for the big day. ( )

Brett channels the hectic atmosphere of the pre-Christmas North Pole through the story of the young girl, Teeka, who must make sure that the reindeer are trained and ready to fly for Christmas Eve. Teeka has never trained the reindeer before (who's bright idea was it to leave a kid in charge?!?!), but as she learns how to work with the animals she endears herself to the readers through her patience and humility. What makes this book a Christmas classic though are Brett's intricate illustrations. Each page utilizes her unique border-filled style to show readers what the elves are doing to prepare for Christmas Eve alongside Teeka's story, which fills the main page. Children and adults alike are sure to love spending time picking out the details of each drawing as Teeka and her reindeer get ready for Christmas Eve. ( )

When Teeka is given the task of preparing the reindeer for Santa's sleigh, the little elf takes her task seriously, convinced that she must be firm with her fleet-hoofed charges. But her bossy ways, and ignorance of how the herd is organized - she doesn't realize that Tundra is the leader, and should be paired with Twilight, for instance - leads to quite a tangle. It takes a quiet voice and gentleness to tame these wild Christmas reindeer...

Originally published in 1990, and then reissued in this 20th Anniversary Edition in 2010, The Wild Christmas Reindeer is one of many holiday picture-books from author/illustrator Jan Brett. The story itself is engaging, and the artwork (as is usually the case with this illustrator) is absolutely gorgeous. The reindeer are beautifully captured, and I loved the way in which Brett depicted more of the story - specifically, the preparations the other elves are making for the upcoming holiday - in the side panels. This sort of detailed work is something for which she is known. Recommended to anyone looking for children's stories about Santa's home at the North Pole, and the preparations that go on there for Christmas Eve, as well as to all fans of Jan Brett's artwork. ( )

Little Teeka thought she had to be firm with the reindeer to get them ready for Santa's important flight, but when her bossy yelling only got their antlers tangled up, she knew she had to try something different.

An exquisite Christmas tale in both illustrations and story! Curricular connections - communication styles would be an applicable discussion. ( )