From a purist's perspective, there's really no improving on Vivian Walsh's 1997 book Olive, the Other Reindeer: Cute: Jack Russell Terrier named Olive mishears a Christmas carol, heads to the North Pole to find her calling as the "the other reindeer," confuses Santa's crew in the process, and eventually proves herself a valuable asset to both the team and holiday lore. (The movie is another story.)
Olive, the Other Reindeer: Deluxe Edition ($19.95) brings to life Walsh's story via pop-up versions of J.otto Siebold's wonderful artwork. For the most part, the pop-ups aren't mind-blowers: The simple lift-the-flaps and pull-out tabs don't really add to or take away from the story; they're just sort of... there. The scratch-and-sniff pages (mmm, gingerbread...) and book-closing Santa's-castle pop-up, on the other hand, are truly awesome, and kids will find them worth the price of admission alone.
If you're looking for a way to keep the magic going, Seibold's Olive the Other Reindeer Pop-Up Advent Calendar ($9.95, above) expands on the book's grand finale in just the right ways, with a deluxe pop-up version of Santa's castle and 24 punch-out figures that children can place around it.
