Review Detail

2.8 1

Dasher and the Polar Bear

Kids Fiction 324

Making New Friends at the North Pole

October 15, 2025 (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.