Dasher Can’t Wait for Christmas
by Matt Tavares; illus. by the author
Primary    Candlewick    40 pp.
9/23    9781536230130    $17.99
e-book ed.  9781536233483    $17.99

First introduced in Dasher (rev. 11/19), the titular character returns in a new holiday adventure that conveys the spirit of the season. Dasher loves “seeing the Christmas lights from high above” on Christmas Eve while flying Santa’s sleigh. Too excited to wait as Christmas Eve approaches, she follows the sound of Christmas carols, but then can’t find the North Star to guide her home. Luckily, a child kindly lends her a compass to get her back to the North Pole just in time. While Tavares has switched to a digital style for this sequel, the illustrations still maintain a rich, realistic quality featuring mainly cool hues that are just right for a cozy nighttime read.

From the November/December 2023 issue of The Horn Book Magazine.