Dasher: How a Brave Little Doe Changed Christmas Forever
Written by Matt Tavares
Narrated by Laural Merlington
4.5/5
()
Currently unavailable
Currently unavailable
About this audiobook
Dasher is an adventurous young reindeer with a wish in her heart. She spends her days with her family under the hot sun in a traveling circus, but she longs for a different life—one where there is snow beneath her hooves and the North Star above her head.
One day, when the opportunity arises, Dasher seizes her destiny and takes off in pursuit of the life she wants to live. It’s not long before she meets a nice man in a red suit with a horse-drawn sleigh—a man named Santa. And soon, with the help of a powerful Christmas wish, nothing will be the same.
Matt Tavares
Matt Tavares is an experienced author and illustrator who has written numerous children's books. He currently resides in Ogunquit, Maine.
More audiobooks from Matt Tavares
Dasher: How a Brave Little Doe Changed Christmas Forever Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsA Ben Of All Trades: The Most Inventive Boyhood of Benjamin Franklin Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsDasher Can't Wait for Christmas Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratings
Related to Dasher
Related audiobooks
The Reluctant Dragon: Alcazar AudioWorks Presents Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Great Joy! Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The Thanksgiving Beast Feast Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The Spirit of Christmas Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Giving Thanks: A Native American Good Morning Message Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Little Llama Learns About Christmas: An Audiobook for Children Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsChildren's Easter Collection 2 Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Pearl the Magical Unicorn Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThanksgiving Is... Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Miracle on 34th Street: A Storybook Edition of the Christmas Classic Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Christmas Chronicles: The Legend of Santa Claus Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Ragweed and Poppy Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Rudey’s Windy Christmas Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Christmas in the Forest and other Christmas stories Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsWilfrid Gordon McDonald Partridge Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Fig Pudding Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Kids Make History: A New Look at America's History Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsPoppy Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Jesus Calling: The Story of Christmas: God’s Plan for the Nativity from Creation to Christ Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Firefly Hollow Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Small Adventure of Popeye and Elvis Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5A Christmas Sonata Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5A Whale of the Wild Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5A Handful of Stars Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Bernard Pepperlin Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Hachiko Waits Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Apples to Oregon Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Poet's Dog Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Three Wise Cats: A Christmas Story Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The True Gift Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5
Children's Holidays & Celebrations For You
The Best Christmas Pageant Ever Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Creepy Carrots! Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Jake & The Gingerbread Wars Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The Haunted Mask (Classic Goosebumps #4) Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Say Cheese and Die! (Classic Goosebumps #8) Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Underneath the Christmas Tree: 'A seasonal romance as warm and welcome as a mug of mulled wine' Woman & Home Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Vanderbeekers of 141st Street Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Lump of Coal Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Snow Dragon Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The Good Egg Presents: The Great Eggscape! Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Night Before Christmas Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Juniper’s Christmas Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The Autobiography of Santa Claus Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Diary of a Christmas Elf: festive magic in the blockbuster hit Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5A Nancy Drew Christmas: Nancy Drew Diaries, Book 18 Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Stay Out of the Basement (Classic Goosebumps #22) Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Little Monster (a Music & Sound FX Audiobook about a Monster Afraid of the Dark) Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Amelia Bedelia's First Valentine Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Pete the Cat's 12 Groovy Days of Christmas Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Curse of the Mummy's Tomb (Classic Goosebumps #6) Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Halloween Moon Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5There's a Zombie in My Bathtub Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Ancestor Approved: Intertribal Stories for Kids Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Best School Year Ever Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The Bad Seed Presents: The Good, the Bad, and the Spooky Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Best Halloween Ever Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Sky Song Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Scary Stories That I Will Never Forget: Short Scary Stories for Kids - Book 1 Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5
Reviews for Dasher
22 ratings4 reviews
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Where did Santa get his reindeer? Author and illustrator Matt Tavares has created a wonderful “origin story” to explain.There was a time, Tavares writes in a preface, when Santa’s sleigh was pulled by a single horse, named Silverbell. But as more and more children came to believe in the magic of Christmas, Santa’s sleigh grew heavier, and Silverbell needed some help.In subsequent pages, we learn the story of Dasher, the youngest reindeer in a family that worked at J.P. Finnegan’s Traveling Circus and Menagerie:“They spent long days crammed together under the hot sun as an endless stream of curious people jostled to catch a glimpse of them.”At night, Dasher’s mama would tell them tales of a magical cold place under the North Star, where she and her husband used to roam free. They all wished they could be there instead of in the hot sun.Dasher loved being with her family, but she also wished for “crisp, cold air and cool blankets of white snow.”One windy night, the gate to the reindeer pen swung open and Dasher took her chance; she glanced up at the North Star and began to run away as fast as she could. After a while, she felt lost, and the North Star seemed no closer. Then she heard a soft jingling and saw a man in a red suit consoling his tired horse:“‘I’m sorry, Santa,’ said the horse. ‘The sleigh is just so heavy this year.’”Dasher, hearing that they needed to deliver gifts to children, whom Dasher loved, stepped forward and said she could help. Santa thanked her and attached her harness to his sled. Before she knew it, they were flying!Dasher loved her new job, but missed her family, telling Santa, “I wish we could be together.” Santa smiled and said, “Let’s go find them.”Santa had Dasher guide the sleigh all the way to J.P. Finnegan’s Traveling Circus and Menagerie. Dasher led her family to Santa’s sleigh, and Santa attached their harnesses. Off they went, and Tavaras writes:“Late that night, as Santa and his new team of reindeer soared around the world, he called them by name for the very first time: ‘Now, Dasher! Now, Dancer! Now, Prancer and Vixen! On, Comet! On, Cupid! On, Donner and Blitzen!”He ends:“On Christmas morning, after all the toys had been delivered, they flew back to the North Pole where they still live happily today.”I admit I shed a tear of happiness at the end….In an interview, Tavares describes how difficult the illustrations in this book turned out to be for him, and how he found the inspiration to deliver his magical product in the end. He concluded: "I guess the point of sharing this is to remind people that this stuff isn’t always easy. Even for those of us who get to make books for a living, there are days when the words don’t come. And there are days when the paint doesn’t do what it’s supposed to do. Even after two decades of writing and illustrating books, I am reminded of this with each new project.But then there are days like today, when I get to take a story that has been a part of my life for so long and finally share it with readers. It may not be perfect, but I poured my heart into it, and I’m proud of how it turned out. After all the good and bad days of writing and drawing and painting, here it is.”Evaluation: The heartwarming story and gorgeous illustrations will win over any skeptical audience in the 3-8 crowd, and probably some of the adult readers as well. I can see this becoming a permanent addition to a family’s library, with each new generation gazing in wide-eyed wonder at this beautiful story of love, hope, and fulfillment of dreams.
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Dasher was a young doe who dreamed of freedom, and of following the North Star far away from J.P. Finnegan's Traveling Circus and Menagerie, where she and her reindeer family were kept captive. Late one winter night, when the pen was left open, she seized her chance, following the star with hope in her heart. Eventually she met a kind man in a red suit - a holiday gift-giver whose horse was getting too old and tired to pull his sleigh. It was then that Dasher stepped in to help out, setting in motion events that would free her family and lead them to their destiny as Santa's reindeer...The second Christmas picture-book I have read from author/illustrator Matt Tavares, following upon his lovely New York-based Red and Lulu, Dasher is a beautiful origin story for Santa's reindeer team, long before the 'events' chronicled in that classic song, Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer. I enjoyed following along as Dasher made her bid for freedom, and found a calling more meaningful and joyous that anything she could have imagined. Not unexpectedly, given that this is Tavares, the artwork is simply gorgeous, full of color and an adept use of light and shadow. Highly recommended to all young Santa lovers, or to any child who has wondered about Santa's reindeer.
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Besides the winter-magic atmosphere set by the wonderful book cover and the intriguing one-word (that is, one-name) title, what most drew me to this children's book is the fact that Dasher is a girl in this take on Santa's reindeer.Once I read it, delighting in the full and lovely illustrations, I quite appreciated the family theme. What a warm and uplifting tale!
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5How did Santa get his flying reindeer? Why from a traveling circus of course. With a little help from a brave reindeer named Dasher, who was brave enough to take the first step.