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Dashing, Dancing, Prancing Proof

On Dasher, on Dancer, on Prancer...on with it. Little kids love stories about Santa's flying reindeer, but maybe you're ready for something more scientific. Now you can read the not quite down-to-earth facts in Flight of the Reindeer, by Robert Sullivan, illustrated by Glenn Wolff (Macmillan).

Sullivan interviewed reindeer experts, historians, flight specialists and other "Santa's helpers" around the world. Their eyewitness accounts of reindeer streaking across starlit northern skies are, well, unbelievable. Wolff's beautiful, detailed drawings show how the aerodynamics of reindeer flight are like airplane flight. They trace Santa's yearly travel plan and map the North Pole compound, including the elf village, reindeer-training center, toy factory and the Claus residence.

Secret details of reindeer flight are revealed. Did you know that all U.S. Presidents sign a "Santa Claus clause" directing planes to clear North Pole airspace on Christmas Eve? That Dasher was hyperactive as a fawn? That the team has been together for 2,000 years? (Except for rookie Rudolph--just 1,500 years.) There's incredible, detailed history here. Sullivan seems to be full of it!

Many disbelievers say Sullivan is playing a joke on us with all these scientific-looking drawings and reports. But the author seems satisfied with his findings, even if no one believes him. "As a boy, I knew with certainty that reindeer could fly," he writes. "As I grew older, I had my doubts. But now--matured and sound of mind--I know again that reindeer can fly."

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