The Wild Christmas Reindeer

The Wild Christmas Reindeer

4.09 of 5 stars 4.09  ·  rating details  ·  2,305 ratings  ·  59 reviews
For two decades, readers have loved this classic Christmas story, which was one of the first children's books to hit the New York Times bestseller list. Now, this beautiful 20th anniversary edition, with a foil cover and a heartfelt note from Jan herself, makes a perfect introduction for new fans to this cherished yuletide story. Featuring the wintry northern setting and t...more
Hardcover, 32 pages
Published October 11th 1990 by Putnam Juvenile (first published 1990)
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Scott
Dec 10, 2008 Scott rated it 4 of 5 stars Recommends it for: children and parents who need to speak more gently and kindly
Shelves: fairy-tales, children
Jan Brett is one of those children's book illustrators whose work is instantly recognizable. I can't think of any artist I've seen attempt to imitate his (her?) uniquely Scandinavian style. He/She uses dark outlines to set off the major figures and objects, but then uses finely brushed detail in blossoming colors to draw the viewer into the paintings. The margins and borders are always richly ornamented, and often contain tidbits and scenes that amount to a mini story in themselves. In this Chri...more
Chandra
I am so relieved to find a Jan Brett book that I finally loved! Her illustrations are beyond gorgeous, but the other few books I've read just didn't grab me. Now I get it though! The neat thing about this book is that there are 2 simultaneous stories going on. The main story is about Teeka who must find and train eight wild reindeer to lead Santa's sleigh on Christmas Eve. It is a sweet story about the effectiveness of being a patient and gentle leader rather than being a taskmaster. Teeka's sto...more
Erica Rhodes
I've heard a lot of thoughts on this book, and a lot of mixed opinions. Personally, I love this book. It's been a favorite for years. We'll bring it out and read it every year without a doubt!

I've seen a lot of people try and describe the meaning of this book. Many people seem to think that it's about how to treat animals, but I think they're missing the point. Teeka is so determined that she's going to show Santa how wonderful she is at bringing the reindeer in that she just tries too hard. Ins...more
Logan
I love Brett's illustrations and Logan really likes poring over the details in them. This isn't one of our favorites though in terms of the story. Teeka, one of Santa's elves, is scheduled to be the one to re-tame the reindeer this year after they've spent all year running wild. The thing is, she has no idea how to treat animals. She decided to be "firm," which means she spends the majority of the book yelling at them, tugging the around, combing them too hard, and not paying any attention to th...more
Jacki
The Wild Christmas Reindeer is a picturebook written for Primary readers.

The book tells the story of a young child chosen by Santa to round up the reindeer needed to help fly his sleigh Christmas Eve. The reindeer have been running wild since the previous Christmas which makes for a difficult time getting them to behave.

The Wild Christmas Reindeer is not a traditional Christmas book. While the setting is the North Pole and there are reindeer to pull Santa's sleigh, there is no reference to Dash...more
Kirsten Denny
The Wild Christmas Reindeer was a Christams gift to me on my first Christmas. Every year since then, I have read it or had it read to me. The pictures in this book make every reindeer look different and portray a magical scene of the North Pole. One fun thing that I think makes this book extra special are the pictures that are included in the book that show what the Elves are working on every day that leads up to Christmas. For example, on December 13th, it shows the Elves building dolls or on D...more
Kathleen Garber
This is a very sweet story about a girl who lives near the North Pole who's job it is to collect the reindeer from the wild and teach them how to work together to pull Santa's sleigh. It's refreshing to have a different kind of Christmas story. Although Santa is in this book, he's not in it till the very end and the focus is on the girl. I love that on each page, their is a sidebar with a countdown to Christmas, showing elves doing various jobs to make toys. I think my daughter loved looking at...more
Mary Sesar
This book is about a girl named Teeka who is in charge of getting Santa's reindeer together and trained by Christmas eve so that Santa can deliver presents. She starts by being aggressive and tough with the reindeer and the reindeer do not take well to her behavior. In the end when she apologizes and approaches the reindeer in a nicer way, the reindeer behave and work with Teeka to be ready for Santa.
I would use this book, not only because it's holiday themed, but also because it could teach chi...more
Sue
Title: The Wild Christmas Reindeer

Author: Jan Brett

Genre: Children’s

Challenges: PB & J Challenge, 101 Books in 1001 Days Challenge, A to Z Reading Challenge, The Year Of Readers – 2009, Pages Read Challenge, Young Reader's Challenge 2009, Read a Book a Month Challenge, Summer Vacation Reading Challenge 2009, Summer Reading Challenge 2009, 2009 Support Your Local Library, 20 Books in 2009, 100+ Reading Challenge – 2009, Christmas in July, What an Animal II, August Reading Challenge

Rating: 4/5...more
Carol Owen
Another beautifully illustrated book by Jan Brett. This story is about Teeka, an elf who has been asked by Santa to prepare the reindeer for Christmas eve. Teeka rounds up the reindeer who have been out living on the tundra, but speaks to them harshly and with impatience, which causes the deer to become anxious and difficult. When she learns to use kindness things change quickly.
Leslee
Teeka is in charge of getting the reindeer ready for Christmas so Santa can ride with them. The reindeer are very difficult to work with and don't seem to listen to Teeka, even when she yells. Teeka gets very frustrated and soon finds out that laughing with the reindeer and having fun with them is really what Christmas is about.
Hannah
Dec 02, 2009 Hannah rated it 4 of 5 stars  ·  review of another edition Recommends it for: Anyone who loves Christmas!
Shelves: comfort-books
As Christmas draws closer, I remember this well loved (and much read) book from my teenaged daughter's childhood.

Lovely, beautiful illustrations and a charming story. I would recommend this for any parent of a 3-10 year old (and maybe older!) for family Christmas reading. My well-worn copy will be coming out of storage very soon!
Hannah
I enjoy a lot of Jan Brett's books, she does a lot of classic stories like Goldilocks and the Three Bears and folktales like The Mitten. Most of all I love her intricate illustrations. There is so much detail in her paintings. There are so many little things for children to look at while you are reading. Check them out!
Firstgradejags
Teeka wanted get the reindeer ready for Christmas Eve, but she was mean to them, so they didn't work hard for her and got all Tangled up. Then she said she was sorry and they forgave her. They were all ready for Santa on Christmas Eve. We learned that being nice is more important than being mean.
Susan Pace-Koch
Teeka is the main character in this book. She is helping Santa get the reindeer ready to fly and she was trying very hard, but she is having a bit of trouble and so are the reindeers! Can she get herself out of this mess and be in time for Christmas?? Beautiful art by Jan Brett.
Kirei
I think the illustrations deserve five stars. The story is not that exciting and deserves only three stars. It is about a girl elf who takes care of Santa's reindeer, which interestingly have names like Heather, Tundra, and Twilight--not anything like Blitzen or Rudolph.
Christiana Tarpley
This young boy has a problem on his hands- and must prepare the reindeer for Santa. Great book for Christmas time. I wouldn't use this book unless it was Christmas- also I think this book is a great book for the students to make hypothesis about the story.
Dolly
Jan 14, 2012 Dolly rated it 3 of 5 stars  ·  review of another edition Recommends it for: parents reading with their children
Shelves: 2012, childrens, christmas
We borrowed a kit from our local library which included this audiocassette, narrated by Randye Kaye and a paperback book with ISBN 0698116526. We'd had this one on hold for over a month and it just came in. Unfortunately, the book was missing the first few pages, but we still enjoyed listening to the story and catching up with the book when we could. The story was good, but as always, Jan Brett's illustrations are amazing. We enjoyed listening to this story together.
Holly
Cute story and an easily understood moral for a young child. However, what's with the reindeer names? These are suppose to be Santa's reindeer so they really should be called Prancer and Vixon, etc.
Matthew
This story of learning to respect each other even when you are a leader is a well told Christmas tale. It's a quick, easy read that is highly enjoyable. I read it with a second grade and they enjoyed it.
Tina
My children love the illustrations in Jan Brett's books. This one is full of detailed pictures. With so much to look at on each page, it's really as much a feast for the eyes as it is a fun story to hear.
Kelsey Yates
I love pictures by Jan Brett. I had to simplify the story for my 2 year old since there is a fair amount of text. The story is very cute and with a good message. There's lots to see in the border illustrations
Deb (Readerbuzz) Nance
Teeka must get these wild reindeer ready to pull the sleigh, but screaming at them is not working. Best part: Beautiful pictures, learning how to teach. Ages 5-10.
Alexandra
This is one of my favorite books by Jan Brett. I have loved it since I was a child, and I still do! The story is funny, creative, and well-illustrated.
Doree Burt
This was a gift, so we were obligated to keep it. The pictures are pretty and super detailed, but I hate the mean talking throughout.
Kaylie Singleton
I love books by Jan Brett, i think they are fun and creative. This would be a great book to read to children around Christmastime.
Sy
This author's drawings are fabulous. The kids love all the little drawings in the margins that tell separate little stories.
Bree
Notes:
love the reindeer names related to nature
beautiful illustrations
too much meanness dominates the first half, but resolves well
Tanya W
Well, we just love Jan Brett's illustrations... there's so much to see and talk about than just the story.
Shauna
I love the intricacy of Jan Brett illustrations. This is a definite favorite in our Christmas stash.
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The Wild Christmas Reindeer (Paperback)
The Wild Christmas Reindeer (Paperback)
The Wild Christmas Reindeer
The Wild Christmas Reindeer (Hardcover)
Wild Christmas Reindeer

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With over thirty three million books in print, Jan Brett is one of the nation's foremost author illustrators of children's books. Jan lives in a seacoast town in Massachusetts, close to where she grew up. During the summer her family moves to a home in the Berkshire Hills of Massachusetts.
As a child, Jan Brett decided to be an illustrator and spent many hours reading and drawing. She says, "I reme...more
More about Jan Brett...
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