Buddy the Bluenose Reindeer

Anne Hutchings, a former elementary-school teacher-librarian with the
Durham Board of Education, is an educational consultant.

Buddy the Bluenose Reindeer—“Rudolph’s first cousin, once removed,
on his mother’s side. A typical Nova Scotia family connection”—was
a very lonely mascot on a Nova Scotian fishing schooner. The other crew
members were jealous and “used to laugh and call him names / ... they
never let poor Buddy play in their / Fun Dory Games.”

That is, of course, until one foggy Christmas Eve when Buddy and his
blue nose saved the ship from certain disaster, guiding it through
stormy seas to safety in calm water. Even the jolly old elf in red who
“sees you when you’re sleeping and knows when you’re awake”
heard about Buddy’s heroism. So, when Rudolph came down with a cold in
his red nose and was “sneezing and wheezing and sniffling and
whiffling,” guess who Santa called on for help?

With its conversational tone, puns galore, and wonderfully descriptive
vocabulary, this clever parody of Rudolph the Red-nosed Reindeer is sure
to be a holiday hit with young and old alike. Even though some of the
humour would be understood best by Nova Scotians (e.g., What’s his
father’s name? ... I think it’s Angus.), there is plenty to amuse
and delight all readers. Brenda Jones’s charming illustrations add to
the enjoyment. Highly recommended.