I love our Christmas traditions.  The entire holiday season is laden with things our family looks forward to.  This year, we are starting a new one with Roaming Reindeer*.  It made our list of holiday favorites this year in the 2014 Holiday Gift Guide.

If you like having a fun Christmas activity for your kids, but aren’t sold on the infamous elf that lurks around, Roaming Reindeer is a super fun option for you!  This cute rhyming story by author Angela Meju, and accompanying reindeers will help start a Christmas tradition in your house. With so many children around the world and not nearly enough time to make the naughty and nice list, two of Santa’s reindeer head off to help Santa by checking on homes throughout the world.  They watch boys and girls to see what list they belong on, but if one is naughty, Reindeer 1 gets sad and runs away and he tells Santa! Watch out for their antics while you sleep, you never know what they will do!  Bring a pair of Santa’s reindeer home to help report back to the North Pole if the boys and girls in your home belong on the Nice list for Christmas!

Here’s a fun Q& A with Angela Meju, the author of Roaming Reindeer

 

• Give us a brief summary of Roaming Reindeer.

Roaming Reindeer is a story about two of Santa’s reindeer, Gus and Sam, who see that Santa is overwhelmed with the naughty and nice lists for Christmas. They decide to help Santa by visiting girls and boys. Sam is saddened and runs away whenever he sees someone being naughty. Gus and Sam decide to work together, side by side, to visit each home. Whenever Sam runs away, he should report to Santa, while Gus sticks around to keep watch. When they run out of time to visit all of the rest of the children, the two reindeer decide to enlist their friends in pairs of two to help. They create a system for Reindeer 1 disappear to report to Santa about behavior, while Reindeer 2 sticks around. All of the reindeer leave on Christmas Eve to help Santa deliver the gifts.

• What was the inspiration behind the book?

My children were just starting to understand the concept of Santa Claus, and I wanted to write a Christmas book they would enjoy reading year after year. 

• How did you decide to include two plush reindeer for families to enjoy? 

We’ve tried other Christmas book traditions in our home and felt that they didn’t exactly cater to our schedules, and didn’t reinforce any positive behavior for children. I know that children tend to be visual learners, so I wanted to create cute, lovable reindeer who were visually identified as being together as a pair. Children associate 1 and 2 together, so if Reindeer 1 has disappeared, it is more of a visual reminder that the two aren’t together. I think that this allows children to be consciously aware of their behavior, while also teaching them about cause and effect. For children with siblings, it is a great tool for working together.

• How does your family use Roaming Reindeer?

Well, my children were exposed to “Gus” and “Sam” (that’s what our Reindeer 1 and 2 are named) very early on—long before Christmas. Our Reindeer 1 and 2 do a lot of travelling, so we have a lot of pictures of them in various (and sometimes random) locations. My children LOVE to play with the reindeer but we officially start our Reindeer countdown after Thanksgiving.

• What do you hope children get out of their experience with Roaming Reindeer? 

Roaming Reindeer is not a tool for punishment, it’s an activity to help promote positive behavior. My hope is that children have fun playing with the reindeer and see them as friends who want to stick together. I’ve had parents joke with me saying that they want their reindeer to stick around all year long. My hope is that children will continue with these habits of teamwork and great behavior throughout the year.

• What kind of research did you do for the book?

A lot. The children’s book industry is so competitive. To have a book published and be taken seriously, you have to read and know your market. It’s also important to have an experienced editor and illustrations that will help to tell your story. 

• What are other holiday traditions your family has?

It is a big event in our family to take pictures with Santa. We actually give out holiday mugs to family members each year with pictures of our kids with Santa. 

• This was your first book. What was your favorite part of the writing process?

My favorite part of the writing process was getting to know the characters and their personalities as I was writing. The best feeling was seeing the illustrations and allowing the characters to come to life.

• Are you planning on writing any other books in the future?

Possibly….”wink, wink”

  

• Tell us where we can find your book and more information about you.

More information and the book is available at www.roamingreindeer.com and on Amazon.

Want to start your tradition?  It’s easy! Pick up a copy between now and November 27th to enjoy a $5 discount using code ROAM2014!

 

I am very excited to offer one lucky reader the chance to win Roaming Reindeer for themselves! To enter, email me at themommyavenger@hotmail.com with Roaming Reindeer in the subject line or by leaving a comment below telling me your favorite holiday tradition!  Please like The Mommy Avenger on facebook, pinterest and twitter for an additional entry (but leave a comment telling me you did!). Winner will be selected on or about December 2, 2014 by random via qualified entries and notified by email at that time. Open to US and Canada residents only.

*product was received to facilitate a review, all opinions are my own.