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.
- Books
- Kids Fiction & Indies
- Kids Fiction
- Dasher and the Polar Bear
Dasher and the Polar Bear
Author(s)
Publisher
Age Range
4+
Release Date
September 30, 2025
ISBN
978-1536236316
Buy This Book
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.
Editor review
1 review
Making New Friends at the North Pole
(Updated: June 29, 2026)
Overall rating
4.0
Plot
4.0
Characters
4.0
Writing Style
4.0
Illustrations/Photos (if applicable)
4.0
After her adventures in Dasher and Dasher Can't Wait for Christmas, Dasher is back, exploring the North Pole. Just before Christmas, she is following the Northern lights, and lands in a remote area. Briefly startled by a polar bear, she is glad to meet George, who doesn't get many visitors. The two strike up a conversation, and after George expresses an interest in flying, Dasher offers to teach him. Sadly, the lessons don't go well. Back home, Dasher asks her mother why the Christmas magic that allows her to fly didn't work on George, but sometimes magic is unpredictable. Santa takes the reindeer on their Christmas run, delivering presents all over the world, but after all of the presents are delivered, Santa says they have one more stop. Dasher is suprised to find that they are visiting George! Santa offers to take George for a run in the sleigh to make his dreams of flying come true.
Good Points
This is a very atmospheric book; the illustrations are blue and feel very chilly, and the soft purple and green of the Northern Lights are a nice touch. The book has a dark and magical feel to it, and the color palette also adds to George's loneliness. The bright red endpapers echo the cheery pops of color that show up when Santa's sleigh enters the story.
George and Dasher are very formal with each other, and the elevated language give the story a classic feel. It's endearing that Dasher's mother lets Santa know about George's wishes; since he's magical, of course it is easy for him to locate the polar bear.
Fans of Dasher's other adventures will be glad to see more of her travels. I'm a big fan of the "back story" of Santa, elves, reindeer or other North Pole inhabitants. Add this to Christmas story times along with Howe's The Street Where Santa Lives, Fergus' The Day Santa Stopped Believing, and Barnett's Santa's First Christmas.
George and Dasher are very formal with each other, and the elevated language give the story a classic feel. It's endearing that Dasher's mother lets Santa know about George's wishes; since he's magical, of course it is easy for him to locate the polar bear.
Fans of Dasher's other adventures will be glad to see more of her travels. I'm a big fan of the "back story" of Santa, elves, reindeer or other North Pole inhabitants. Add this to Christmas story times along with Howe's The Street Where Santa Lives, Fergus' The Day Santa Stopped Believing, and Barnett's Santa's First Christmas.
User reviews
1 review
Overall rating
2.8
Plot
2.0(1)
Characters
2.0(1)
Writing Style
3.0(1)
Illustrations/Photos (if applicable)
4.0(1)
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Thin plot
(Updated: June 29, 2026)
Overall rating
2.8
Plot
2.0
Characters
2.0
Writing Style
3.0
Illustrations/Photos (if applicable)
4.0
I feel as though this franchise has run its course. The plot felt very thin on this one, although the art is as appealing as it is in its predecessors.
Good Points
Lovely art
R
Readerreader
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