Randy, the Badly Drawn Reindeer
by T. L. McBeth ; illus. by the author
Primary    Godwin/Holt    40 pp.    g
11/22    978-1-250-26384-1    $18.99
e-book ed.  978-1-250-90590-1    $10.99

Back in his third book, (not-so-­badly-drawn) horse Randy dreams of flying with Santa’s reindeer on Christmas Eve, “But alas, I’m just a beautiful horse!” An unseen kid artist provides speech-bubble commentary about what makes a good reindeer (being able to withstand the cold and enjoying reindeer games, for example), and Randy gives it all his best effort: “I love games…Checkers? Chess? Monopoly?!” Randy’s can-do attitude helps him ignore the obvious and feel confident that he’s ready “to join [Santa’s] team of flying horses.” He is not…until Christmas morning provides just the right bit of magic. Plenty of white space focuses attention on crayon-colored Randy’s goofy shenanigans and clueless narration.

From the November/December 2022 issue of The Horn Book Magazine.