FICTION

There Was a Young Reindeer Who Swallowed a Present

by Kaye Baillie (text) & illus. by Diane Ewen
Kane Miller. (There Was a Young…). Dec. 2023. 32p. Tr $13.99. ISBN 9781684645794.
COPY ISBN
PreS-Gr 2–This novelty picture book is a festive retelling of the famous children’s song, “There Was an Old Lady Who Swallowed a Fly.” Here, a Christmas reindeer swallows a present—“how very unpleasant”—then follows that up with an elf, an ornament, a tree, and so on, until Santa himself is inside the reindeer’s belly. But Santa is gassy from too many mince pies, so with one big “Blarp!” everything the reindeer ate comes tumbling out again. Christmas is saved. A diverse cast includes a Black Santa and elves with various skin tones.
VERDICT A silly holiday story that is good for read-alouds.
Reviewed by Jennifer Miskec , Sep 22, 2023

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