Lars, the eponymous little polar bear, returns in this eighth picture-book adventure, this time befriending Oliver, a little reindeer who gets separated from his mother in a snowstorm. True to form, Lars offers to help Oliver return to his family, setting out to follow the herd on its southward journey. They are aided in their quest by Otto the muskox, and eventually do find the other reindeer. Unfortunately, their progress has been halted by a fenced-in pipeline that runs for miles...

Originally published in Switzerland as Der kleine Eisbär rettet die Rentiere (literally: "The Little Polar Bear Rescues the Reindeer"), Little Polar Bear and the Reindeer features a story-line that is in many respects quite similar to its predecessors. As always, Lars makes a new animal friend, one whom he must assist. This entry in the series differs from the previous ones, however, in that it also includes an ecological message, in the episode involving the pipeline, which Lars and company must sabotage for the good of the reindeer herd. Recommended to fans of the Little Polar Bear books. ( )