Olive Isn't a Reindeer, But She Still Can Save the Day

As classic Christmas stories go, few are more iconic than Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer. Not only is it a classic, but it has spawned a sub-genre in the world of Christmas picture books of stories about special helpers, usually initially overlooked, who get Santa out of a jam. Olive, the Other Reindeer, by Vivian Walsh and J. Otto Seibold, openly admits that influence, as its title character, a dog named Olive, misunderstands the snippet "all of the other reindeer" as she's listening to Christmas music and takes it as a clue that she ought to be working for Santa.

Olive must not have been listening very closely; the line doesn't describe her at all because she's much too sweet-natured to laugh at Rudolph and call him names. She's a shy creature, but she has the gumption to go to Santa and report for duty as "the other reindeer." Though Santa is surprised to see her, he's much more understanding than the disappointingly crotchety Santa in Rankin and Bass's lauded claymation special. He gives Olive a chance, and he and the reindeer soon learn just how handy a pup can be. Olive's nose is not remarkable at first glance like Rudolph's, but her expert smelling skills help guide Santa through a thick fog, while her retrieving abilities and fondness for chewing also help ensure a successful Christmas Eve flight.

The illustrations have a strange, skewered look about them, and I figured the story would be irreverent to match, something along the lines of The Stinky Cheese Man, perhaps. I thought the characters might be sarcastic and crude, and they weren't at all. There are no antagonists in this story, except perhaps the weather. All of its characters are refreshingly gentle and good-natured.

In this special pop-up edition, the fun of the pictures is increased by the pages' extra components. Some pages have pictures that move. Others have flaps or pop-ups. Some have scratch-and-sniff. A few have a combination. The pages are very thick and easy to grasp, and the pop-ups, while very fun, aren't as delicate as Robert Sabuda's, so this book would probably last a little longer in tiny hands, though I'd still recommend it mostly for children five and up.

In many holiday stories, Santa delivers a dog on Christmas Eve. In Olive, the Other Reindeer, a dog delivers him. Two hooves up for the other reindeer!