The Reindeer's Shoe and Other Stories

In the title storyand one of four long tales in this volumeGleam, one of Santa's reindeer, loses his jewel-like shoe; he and Santa's helper Stocking must wait for an opportune moment to get it back. Fortunes change hands, but the shoe is regained, just in time for Christmas. The memory of ``The Reaching Princess'' is taken from her, but her own endurance and gaining of wisdom help her to retrieve it. In ``The Storm King's Plume,'' a lame boy wants his father to accept him as he is (and gets his wish); in `` 'Pilio,'' a lonely old woman gains the company of a butterfly-boy during the cold winter months. Illustrated with cutout paper silhouettes, these four charming tales have plots that unwind leisurely; some will find the pace slow. But the stories give children who have just mastered reading a chance to immerse themselves in longer works, all well-told. All ages. (Oct.)