Randy, the Badly Drawn Reindeer!

PreS-Gr 1–For Randy, Christmas lights, candy canes, Santa Claus, and reindeer are the best parts of the Christmas season. In this third installment of the “Randy, the Badly Drawn Horse” series, Randy longs to be one of Santa’s coveted reindeer. He wants to deliver presents to the good children and help Santa fly around the world; but he’s a horse, not a reindeer. Determined not to let that stop him from his dreams, he hatches a step-by-step plan to learn how to become a reindeer that includes getting used to snow, learning how to fly, and other important tasks. Randy works hard, and on Christmas Eve he awakens to a very unexpected surprise. Though author and illustrator McBeth offers worthy messages about working hard, planning, and practicing, the overall storytelling is sparse. The sketch art is consistent across the series and incorporates a few artistic mediums, such as collage art and photography. However, the color story is not as brilliant as would be expected for Christmas cheer. Thus, it does not enliven the text.