Reading time: about 3 minutes · Best for ages 3 to 8
The Smallest Reindeer is a Christmas bedtime story for Christmas Eve and the December countdown. It’s about a little reindeer who finds out that being small can be just right.
The Smallest Reindeer: Read the Story
At the North Pole lived a little reindeer named Juniper. She was the smallest reindeer in the whole stable, with short legs and a tiny tail.
“You’re too small to pull the sleigh,” the big reindeer told her. “Maybe next year.”
Juniper heard “maybe next year” every year. This year, she just felt sad.
On Christmas Eve, Santa loaded his sleigh with presents. The big reindeer stood in a row, ready to fly. Then Santa checked his list and frowned. “Oh dear,” he said. “There’s one present left, and it goes to a cabin deep in the forest. The trees there are so close together, the sleigh can’t fit.”
Juniper stepped forward. “I’m small,” she said. “I can fit between the trees.”
Santa smiled and tied the little present to her back. Off she went, trotting and then flying low between the snowy pine trees, twisting left and right, until she reached a tiny cabin with one candle in the window.
Inside, a boy named Leo was fast asleep. Juniper left the present by the door, quiet as a snowflake.
When she got home, Santa gave her a silver bell for her collar. “Sometimes,” he said, “the smallest helper is exactly the right size.”
Juniper wore her bell every Christmas after that. If you listen very carefully on Christmas Eve, you might hear it ringing.
The Moral of the Story
Being small doesn’t stop you from doing something big.
Questions to Ask After the Story
- Why couldn’t Juniper pull the sleigh?
- Why was Juniper the right reindeer for the last present?
- What did Santa give Juniper?
