Reindeer Picture Books
Hi! In my last post, I shared about my favorite non-fiction books for your Caribou unit. Don’t forget, you can get a ton of Caribou activities HERE.
Today I wanted to share some of my favorite reindeer picture books. These are a great addition to your caribou unit and to discuss Christmas traditions. However, I encourage you to make sure you’re balancing these books with books celebrating other culture and holidays. Many of our students do celebrate Christmas, but many do not. It’s so important that our students see themselves in the books we read, and that we use books to introduce our students to the world around them.
This post contains affiliate links. That means I get a small commission when people use my links. They are at no cost to you, and I use the money to keep this blog up and running.
The Great Reindeer Rebellion by Lisa Trumbauer
This is a fun, silly book set to “‘Twas The Night Before Christmas.” The reindeer decide pulling Santa’s sleigh is too much work, and they go on strike. Other animals come to the North Pole to help Santa pull his sleigh, like dogs, flamingos, and kangroos. Of course, the other animals aren’t able to pull the sleigh! It would be fun to have students create their own version with a different animal.
The Little Reindeer by Nicola Killen
The illustrations in this book are so beautiful! Each page has pops of red, against a black and white backdrop. Ollie, the main character, goes on a sleigh ride through the snow, listening for the “jingle, jingle, jingle.” She eventually finds a collar with silver bells…you can probably see where this is going! Such a sweet book for your library!
The photographs in this books are so pretty! This book is a little big longer, and each page is pretty wordy. It would be great for after a long recess, or to split up between a few days. Anja finds a baby reindeer in the snow that she eventually names Odin. Eventually, she starts to think Odin might be happier with the reindeer herd. It’s so sweet, and shows the love of a child and their pet.
I think this is a classic in most classroom libraries! Moose has so much to do…his to do list is so long! This books has some great vocabulary like “regimentation” and “imagination.” This is a really fun book to add to your unit…it always grabs students’ attention!
This book is so sweet…I love it. The author writes, “This is the story of how an ordinary family of reindeer became the most famous animals in the world. And it never would have happened if it weren’t for a very brave doe named Dasher.” I also love how Dasher uses “she” pronouns, because so many Christmas and reindeer stories have male main characters.
Olive, the Other Reindeer by Vivian Walsh
I think this was the first holiday book I ever bought for my classroom. It will always hold a special place in my heart! Olive is a play on words for “All of the other reindeer.” She loves to sing along, and decides that she is a reindeer too and heads to the North Pole.
The Littlest Reindeer by Brandi Dougherty
This is a pretty classic “trope,” where the main character is “too small” to make a difference. I love the message this sends our kids…we are all unique and offer special gifts to the world around us. Definitely a sweet book!
The Wild Christmas Reindeer by Jan Brett
The last book on my list is a classic. Jan Brett is such a talented author, and this book is no exception. I don’t think any reindeer unit is complete without this book!
What books would you add to the list?
