cover image Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer

Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer

Robert Lewis May. Grosset & Dunlap, $9.99 (40pp) ISBN 978-0-448-42534-4

The fearless leader of Santa's sleigh was a character created by Robert L. May in his book, Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer, in 1939 as part of a giveaway from Montgomery Ward. Though the text, which gives a nod to Clement C. Moore, is somewhat forced, the book gets a boost from David Wenzel's illustrations of a warm, appealing Santa. (Sept.)