The Reindeer Wish

The husband-and-wife team of Evert and Breiehagen follow The Christmas Wish and The Tiny Wish with a third story featuring a girl named Anja, portrayed in Breiehagen’s photographs by their daughter. Though this is a Christmas title like the first book, readers get to see Anja’s northern home through the seasons as she cares for a baby reindeer that has been lost. Once again, Breiehagen’s photos are the major draw, and he shows the reindeer, Odin, growing rapidly as he accompanies Anja on fishing trips, visits her school à la Mary’s nursery rhyme lamb, and eventually escorts her to Santa’s house at the North Pole, where Odin will live. It’s a holiday treat for animal lovers, especially since Anja winds up replacing Odin, the pet she never knew she wanted, with a fluffy white puppy, the pet she always wanted. Ages 3–7. (Oct.)