Rating: 
Summary: "Olive" is a Good Book for Kids
Review: "Olive the Other Reindeer" by J. Otto Seibold and Vivian Welch is a good book because it is very funny and has good illustrations.It is a story about a dog who gets confused and thinks she is a reindeer. She goes along with Santa and his buddies and finds out she can fly! I like the way the author uses the dogs confusion between "Olive", which is her name and "All of" from the song Rudolph to make a funny situation. It is a good book for children 5-7 because it is not too hard to read. Younger children would probably think it was funny too if someone read it to them.
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Summary: Olive the Other Reindeer
Review: 10/4/03 Olive the Other Reindeer, Vivian Walsh and J.Otto Seibold, Chronicle books Have you ever wished that you could be something else for one day? Well in this fantasy story, Olive the Other Reindeer, a little dog named Olive gets to be one of Santa's reindeer. It all starts when she listens to a Christmas song and hears, "All of the other reindeer...", Olive thinks the song is singing, "Olive the Other Reindeer". She thinks she is supposed to be a reindeer so she goes to the North Pole to help Santa and his reindeer. Along the way Santa's toys fall out of the sleigh and scatter everywhere! Will Olive know what to do to save Christmas? Olive is the main character, she is a small dog that is white and brown. When Olive sets her mind on something she does it, with no turning back. She is also very helpful and kind. Santa is a plump, jolly old fellow who made Olive's dream to be a reindeer real, he gave her a chance. The reindeer in the story were very curious about Olive becoming part of the squad of reindeer but they welcomed her and helped her as much as possible. I would recommend this picture book to people who like cute stories and who like animals, because Olive the dog who is the main character encounters funny characters like Santa Claus and his reindeer. This book has some cute little twists that I'm sure would put a smile on your face. I really enjoyed the illustrations in this book because they have a cartoon feel and you can tell the story by looking at the pictures in it. This book is one that I'm sure a person of any age would enjoy, I know that I did!
Rating:
Summary: a modern Christmas story, simple and innocent
Review: Cute, modern story about a dog named Olive who thinks he is "Olive the other reindeer" and thinks he should be up at the North Pole helping Santa. Story is short and innocent. This story is nothing like the video (see my separate review of that). There is no negativity in this book, no hurt feelings, no "bad guys", no threat of "no Christmas", (unlike the video). Olive saves the day: the problem is that there is a hole in Santa's sack and there are several times where toys or candy fell out of the sack and Olive helps retrieve them. A very happy little story. I recommend it for those looking for a cute, innocent modern story about Christmas. Illustrations are very unique and there is a lot going on in the illustrations. If you love the book, please preview the video before buying the video as the video is very different. If you disliked the video, give the book a chance as it is different in content and tone.
Rating:
Summary: a modern Christmas story, simple and innocent
Review: Cute, modern story about a dog named Olive who thinks he is "Olive the other reindeer" and thinks he should be up at the North Pole helping Santa. Story is short and innocent. This story is nothing like the video (see my separate review of that). There is no negativity in this book, no hurt feelings, no "bad guys", no threat of "no Christmas", (unlike the video). Olive saves the day: the problem is that there is a hole in Santa's sack and there are several times where toys or candy fell out of the sack and Olive helps retrieve them. A very happy little story. I recommend it for those looking for a cute, innocent modern story about Christmas. Illustrations are very unique and there is a lot going on in the illustrations. If you love the book, please preview the video before buying the video as the video is very different. If you disliked the video, give the book a chance as it is different in content and tone.
Rating:
Summary: Olive the Other Reindeer
Review: I'm 24 and I worked at a bookstore this past holiday season, and when I saw this book I bought it even though it's a children's book! It's so much fun to read and I read it out loud to my parents and they loved the adorable story as well! I recommend it to anyone who loves the silly things in life!
Rating:
Summary: A Christmas Classic
Review: Olive the dog was listening to the radio and singing along to Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer, as she wrapped her Christmas presents. The radio sang, "All of the other Reindeer", Olive sang, "Olive the other Reindeer". Oh my, she hadn't realized that she was a reindeer and decided on the spot that she'd better get to the North Pole right away to help Santa. Arriving just in time, she took her spot on the sleigh. Santa noticed her and wasn't fooled, but he just asked Comet to tie her on extra tight, since he knew that dogs couldn't fly. Off they went, into the night, to deliver Santa's presents. But it doesn't take long before the sleigh and reindeer run into trouble and Olive, with her canine ways, saves the day.....The dynamic duo, Vivian Walsh and J. Otto Seibold have collaborated once again, to give us a humorous and endearing holiday story. Their simple, gentle text and bold, expressive illustrations combine to delight and amuse children, young and old. And as they watch Olive receive the best present ever, from Santa, youngsters will want to hear this story again and again. This book makes a wonderful gift and a terrific addition to all bookshelves.
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Summary: A Jack Russell Terrier's Christmas
Review: Olive, a beautiful, high spirited Jack Russell Terrier wanted to work for Santa. She was listening to "Rudolf, the Red-Nosed Reindeer" on the radio one night and misinterpreted the lyric, "all of the other reindeer" to "Olive the other reindeer" and immediately believed the song was about her. She travels to the North Pole and asks to pull the sled. Santa wisely notices that the little Jack was not a reindeer and that working on his team was very important to her. Taking his reindeer Comet aside, he asked his trusted reindeer to tie Olive to the sled extra securely so she could be part of the team. A cute modification of the Rudolf story using a very appealing little dog, a Jack Russell Terrier. A good story for all ages.
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Summary: The funniest part....
Review: The funniest part of the book to me is the part:
Santa knew alot about dogs, for instance, they can't fly.
It cracks me up everytime I read it to the kids.
On a slightly more serious note, the beginning of the story goes over the real phrase so your kids won't think that the song says Olive.
Rating:
Summary: Nice, cute story
Review: There are two reason why I found this book offensive:
1. There was a disconnect between the plot and the dialogue. That is, the plot, brave dog saves Christmas after reindeer is disabled, appeals to the 3 to 7-year-old group, while the dialogue, full of double entrendres and social commentary, appeals to 15 to 30-year-olds. (By the time people are 30 they often are parents and want sweet, charming stories for their 3 to 7-year-olds.)
2. The villain is a mail carrier. I have lived in Pennsylvania, Maryland, DC and Virginia, and have always had very pleasant experiences with mail carriers. I have two relatives (brother-in-law in Illinois and son's father-in-law in Arizona) who are retired mail carriers. They are loving family men, with no interest in destroying Christmas or hurting little dogs. I feel the book is an insult to the many hard-working civil servants, who really do go out in rain, snow and gloom of night to deliver our mail.
Rating:
Summary: Little Ones Can Do Big Things Too.
Review: This charming Christmas tale tells the story of Olive the dog. Olive seems to enjoy Christmas just as much as anyone else. However, after listening to the refrain in "Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer" over and over again (ALL OF the other reindeer), Olive becomes convinced that it's about her and sets forth to report to Santa for duty at the North Pole. Neither Santa nor the reindeer really know what to make of this strange little dog, but they agree to let her come along. They tie her tightly to one of the reindeer and off they go. Along the way, Santa and his crew find themselves in all sorts of situations and because of Olive, the problems aren't as problematic as they could be. This is a charming little Christmas story. The illustrations are quite unique, reminding one of cutout pictures glued to a page. Kids love this story and it has a nice message about how even when someone or something seems insignificant, they can be of great importance. This story is rapidly becoming a Christmas favorite and it's a joy to read to any child. Look for the illustrations of people and animals inside things: rabbits sleeping in their hole, children sleeping in bed, etc. Merry Christmas.
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