Dasher and the Polar Bear -- Matt Tavares, Hardcover

In this all-new Christmas tale, Dasher the reindeer discovers that the only thing better than making Christmas magic is making a new friend to share it with.

One bright night just before Christmas, Dasher the reindeer is out admiring the stunning colors of the northern lights when she meets George, a sweet polar bear. Astounded to see that Dasher can fly, George confides that he has dreamed of soaring through the sky himself. Dasher would like nothing more than to bestow some Christmas magic on her new friend, but their flying lesson turns out to be a disappointing failure. Even Dasher, an intrepid reindeer in the habit of giving--not giving up--begins to wonder if anyone can make George's dream take flight. In this sparkling new Christmas story, Matt Tavares, New York Times best-selling author of Dasher and its sequel, Dasher Can't Wait for Christmas, is back to remind us that sometimes the best gift we can receive is simply to bear witness to wonder--and that not all presents fit inside Santa's bag.

Author: Matt Tavares
Publisher: Candlewick Press (MA)
Published: 09/30/2025
Pages: 40
Binding Type: Hardcover
Weight: 1.25lbs
ISBN: 9781536236316
Audience: Ages 4-8

Review Citation(s):
Kirkus Reviews 06/15/2025

About the Author
Matt Tavares is the author-illustrator of the New York Times best-selling picture book Dasher and its sequel Dasher Can't Wait for Christmas, Red and Lulu, the graphic novel Hoops, and several sports biographies, including Becoming Babe Ruth and Growing Up Pedro. He is also the illustrator of Twenty-One Steps: Guarding the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier by Jeff Gottesfeld, The Gingerbread Pirates by Kristin Kladstrup, 'Twas the Night Before Christmas by Clement C. Moore, and Over the River and Through the Wood by L. Maria Child, among many other picture books. Matt Tavares lives in Ogunquit, Maine.