Exclusive Cover Reveal: DASHER AND THE POLAR BEAR by Matt Tavares

Dasher and the Polar Bear, the third book in author/illustrator Matt Tavares’s Dasher series, arrives on September 16, 2025. Today we have a first look at the cover.

But first, I wanted had some questions for Matt . . .

Travis: Hi Matt! The Dasher-verse expands! How did this third book come about?

Matt Tavares: Ha, the Dasher-verse! I like that. When I wrote the first Dasher book, I hadn’t planned on making any more. But the response to that book was so amazing, and I heard from so many kids asking if there were going to be more Dasher books, which got me thinking- maybe I should write more Dasher books!

At first it was hard to come up with anything. The first book is kind of a big idea- the origin story of how Santa’s reindeer became Santa’s reindeer. I felt like a sequel had to be something that carried as much weight as that. But nothing quite worked. At some point I just started thinking about this character, this brave, curious, adventurous young reindeer. And instead of trying to outdo the first book, I just tried to keep it simple and imagine what sorts of situations Dasher might find herself in next. That’s when story ideas started flowing. 

In this new book, Dasher befriends a very kind and polite polar bear named George, who sees Dasher flying and wishes he could fly too. I thought of this character years ago, when I was attempting to write a sequel to my book, Red & Lulu, in which the main characters meet a new friend, one of the polar bears in Central Park Zoo. But that story never quite came together for many reasons (including the fact that there are no longer polar bears in Central Park Zoo). But once I imagined Dasher out exploring the North Pole, I knew she and George would be friends.

Travis: Did the cover for this book come more easily than others in the series? Or was it more of a challenge? Any early versions you’re willing to share?

Matt Tavares: This was one of those rare cases where I pretty much knew what the cover was going to be right from the start. It’s nice when that happens! As the third book in this series, a pattern has emerged with the covers. In the first book, we see Dasher meeting Santa Claus for the very first time. In Dasher Can’t Wait for Christmas, we see a similar side view of Dasher, only this time she is meeting her new friend, Charlie.

So for Dasher and the Polar Bear, I envisioned the cover right away– Dasher face to face with her new friend, George. 

However, there was one big change from my original idea. In earlier drafts, Dasher was out exploring and ended up finding shelter from the storm in a cave, which turned out to belong to a polar bear. So my cover showed the moment when George returned to his cave to find an unexpected visitor.

But my editor suggested that instead of having Dasher encounter a storm, maybe she lands because she wants to stop and marvel at the beautiful northern lights dancing across the night sky. I loved this new direction, and it really changed the whole feel of the book. And of course I needed to change my cover design, so now instead of a dark cave, our characters are meeting outside, with a snow-covered arctic background and the northern lights up above. It’s so much brighter and more magical.

Travis Jonker: Last time you shared the case as well – would you mind doing that again? What was your case cover illustration inspiration?

Matt Tavares: The northern lights are featured prominently in this book, so I thought it would be nice to paint a sky picture for the case cover. My first version was just the night sky with the northern lights and the North Star. My art director asked me to add a snowy landscape at the bottom. Here it is!

Travis: Do you see the Dasher books as a trilogy, or could we see Dasher again in the future?

I’m very excited to share that there are least two more Dasher books on the way after this one! I don’t think details of either one have been shared publicly yet so I won’t get into that, but I am thrilled to know that I’ll be spending a lot more time in the Dasher-verse over the next couple years! 

Travis: Thank you, Matt! Best of luck with the book! And now, a first look at the cover for Dasher and the Polar Bear, written and illustrated by Matt Tavares, coming September 16, 2025. The book is published by Candlewick Press. Cover designed by Maryellen Hanley.

A bit about the book, from the publisher:

One bright night just before Christmas, Dasher the reindeer is out admiring the stunning colors of the northern lights when she meets George, a sweet polar bear. Astounded to see that Dasher can fly, George confides that he has dreamed of soaring through the sky himself. Dasher would like nothing more than to bestow some Christmas magic on her new friend, but their flying lesson turns out to be a disappointing failure. Even Dasher, an intrepid reindeer in the habit of giving—not giving up—begins to wonder if anyone can make George’s dream take flight. In this sparkling new Christmas story, Matt Tavares, New York Times best-selling author of Dasher and its sequel, Dasher Can’t Wait for Christmas, is back to remind us that sometimes the best gift we can receive is simply to bear witness to wonder—and that not all presents fit inside Santa’s bag.

Filed under: Cover Reveal, Covers