~ MARVELOUS MIDDLE-GRADE
MONDAY HOLIDAY PICTURE
BOOK FEATURE ~
-- 'DASHER' --
AUTHOR-ILLUSTRATOR MATT TAVARES
From the celebrated creator of Red and Lulu comes the story of a brave little doe who meets Santa and changes Christmas forever.
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.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR {from Goodreads}:
Matt Tavares was born in Boston, and grew up surrounded by books and reading. From the time he was very young, his mother read to him every night, and his family made countless trips to the public library. Years later, as a studio art major at Bates College, he rediscovered his love for picture books, and decided to try to make his own.
For his senior thesis project, Matt wrote and illustrated a story called Sebastian's Ball, which eventually became Zachary's Ball, Matt's first published picture book. Zachary's Ball went on to win a Massachusetts Book Award Honor, and was named one of Yankee Magazine's 40 Classic New England Children's Books.
Since then, Matt has published eighteen more books and has won several awards, including three Parents' Choice Gold Awards, an Orbis Pictus Honor, and two ALA Notable books. His artwork has been exhibited at the Museum of American Illustration, the Brandywine River Museum, and the Mazza Museum of Picture Book Art.
When Matt's not working in his studio on his latest book project, he travels the country speaking (and drawing) at schools, libraries, conferences, and bookstores. He has presented at the Smithsonian American Art Museum, the Eric Carle Museum, the White House Easter Egg Roll, and he's even done a few book signings at Fenway Park.
Matt lives in Maine with his wife, Sarah, and their two daughters.
MY THOUGHTS:
Beautiful picture books and the holiday season have always complemented each other in my life. As a child, I treasured books. As a classroom teacher, I shared my love of books with my eager students. As an adult, author, and blogger, my passion for beautifully-written and illustrated books knows no end.
'Dasher', written and illustrated by award-willing author-illustrator Matt Tavares, can best be described using two of my favorite words--exquisite and extraordinary.
This story is told from the perspective of a young reindeer doe named Dasher. She and her family were members of a traveling circus in the late nineteenth century. Nowhere is it stated that this is the time period of the story, but the illustrations depict the dress and realia from that era.
Dasher loves her family, and she especially loves the stories her mother tells her at night about days gone by and the magic of the North Star. These stories become meaningful later on in the book as Dasher strikes out on her own in search of freedom and happiness.
Younger children will enjoy the story because of the adventure and surprises Dasher finds along the way. Middle-graders will enjoy the story because of the deeper meanings threaded throughout the narrative about yearning for a dream to come true, family, love, freedom, hope, and joy.
I highly recommend this beautiful book to children and families alike. I found it to be a unique, inspiring tale about some common Christmas icons.
I borrowed this book from the new book shelf in the children's collection at the local public library.
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Find the links to read more great Marvelous Middle-Grade Monday posts from middle-grade authors and bloggers at Greg Pattridge's 'Always in the Middle' Blog.
🌲🌲🌲🌲🌲🌲🌲🌲🌲🌲🌲🌲🌲🌲🌲🌲🌲🌲🌲🌲
📚📚📚 A SPECIAL ANNOUNCEMENT 📚📚📚
{or possibly sooner depending on what time zone the author selected for their sale period}.
ALL BOOKS LISTED
WILL BE PRICED AT 99¢!
THE SALE INCLUDES MULTIPLE GENRES, MULTIPLE AGE GROUPS, AND MULTIPLE AUTHORS.
GREAT SAVINGS ON SOME GREAT BOOKS!
**** MY MIDDLE-GRADE HISTORICAL ADVENTURE, 'RES-Q TYLER STOP', IS PART OF THE SALE AS ARE MY TWO CHRISTIAN ROMANCES FOR ADULTS--'ROBIN'S REWARD' AND 'HANDMADE HEARTS'.
VISIT MY AMAZON AUTHOR'S PAGE TO PURCHASE
THESE BOOKS AT THIS SALE PRICE BEFORE THE
SALE ENDS ON DECEMBER 3RD AT MIDNIGHT PST!
LEARN MORE ABOUT THE SALE BY CLICKING ON THIS
LINK:
BLACK FRIDAY CLEAN INDIE AUTHOR BOOK SALE
BLACK FRIDAY CLEAN INDIE AUTHOR BOOK SALE
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The cover is so serene looking with the trees fading into the background against the snow and blue-tinted sky. I bet it's a gorgeous book to read.
ReplyDeleteI love to put books like this one on an end or coffee table for guests to enjoy. Thanks for sharing DASHER as I had not heard of it before.
ReplyDeleteThis sounds like such a wonderful book! I appreciate any book that can be read by all ages. Thanks so much for the review!
ReplyDeleteThis sounds perfectly charming. My library has it as an ebook and I just checked it out. Can't wait to read it. Thanks for your review.
ReplyDeleteSounds like a great holiday read. Picture books are always fun to read with kids.
ReplyDeleteEnjoyed your thorough review! I am running my review of Dasher on Friday, 12/6. Love it so much I have purched three copies for great grandchildren.
ReplyDelete