The Hockey Song

July 15, 2016
The Canadian classic twanging salute to hockey, visually set to a gathering of outdoor puck-slingers.Connors is a Canadian legend for his songs of the northland; in his bouncy, Western, steel-guitar style, he sang about not only hockey, but lumberjacks, snowmobiles, and all things Canadian. In winter, in Canada, where you can't throw a puck without hitting ice, a pickup game is par for every evening's course (and early morning, lunch, all day long). Clement locates this game on an urban playground rink, where a white father and son lace up and start singing, setting the chilly air vibrating: "Oh! The good ol' hockey game, / is the best game you can name." All are welcome at the good ol' hockey game, and the players, a multiracial bunch, keep popping on to the rink--what Canadian is ever without a pair of hockey skates?--with their favorite teams' jerseys. Clement gives each new skater a different, bright shirt, and as the night gets darker, the rink seems to glow brighter. While the presentation here has plenty of steam, it can't be helped but to think this piece of work needs a singalong, and one read through may be all that's required to send people looking for a recording. Considerable fun, just like a game of shinny, and a reason to cut greenhouse-gas emissions that everybody can get behind. (Picture book. 4-8)

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November 1, 2016

PreS-Gr 1-"Oh! The good ol' hockey game, /it's the best game you can name./And the best game you can/name, is the good ol'/hockey game." This is the main phrase of Connors's rousing anthem, "The Hockey Song," a piece of cultural heritage that has now been captured in picture book format for the next generation. While amateur players sing the song, lively illustrations, drawn in Clement's characteristic style, give the play-by-play. The story moves from puck drop to final score, from a shared moment between father and son to an all-out international game. As women, men, and children of various ethnicities join in the fun, more jerseys get added to the mix. Some children will get an extra level of satisfaction just from trying to identify the teams. The book as a whole has a videolike composition to it, dramatically enhancing the look with panoramic long shots and close-ups that are right in the action. Tension gradually mounts as the game gets progressively more intense, although readers do have a chance to breathe during two well-placed period announcements. Overall, the illustrations convey the spirit of the song and hockey itself. VERDICT Young and old hockey fans alike will enjoy this colorful picture book tribute to hockey's anthem.-Rachel Forbes, formerly at Oakville Public Library, Ont.

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