________________ CM . . . . Volume XV Number 6. . . .November 7, 2008

cover

Just One Goal.

Robert Munsch. Illustrated by Michael Martchenko.
Toronto, ON: Scholastic Canada, 2008.
32 pp., pbk., $6.99.
ISBN 978-0-545-99035-6.

Preschool-grade 3 / Ages 4-8.

Review by Kim Dyment.

*** /4

   

 

internal artA Northern Canadian girl, Ciara, begs her family for a backyard hockey rink. Not wanting to travel to town to skate, Ciara envisions her very own rink on which she and her fiends can play. With no help from her family, Ciara begins smoothing out the bumpy river ice with a spoon and warm water. First the rink is the size for ants, then for the dog, but eventually her hard work inspires the community to come together to create a hockey rink for everyone. The children and adults enjoy the convenience and efforts of their hard work, as they play hockey on their rink. During one of the final games of the season, Ciara find herself still wanting to score the winning goal. As she tries to achieve this, her mother screams a warning of ice break up, and the community is sent into a panic! While parents are rounding up their children, Ciara is still racing to the net with a goal on her mind. Thankfully she is saved after she scores her goal.

      Munsch captures a rural, Northern Canadian winter as moose, bears, and snowmobiles appear to disrupt the hockey games! The Northern Lights are described in the background, exposing children to the unique sights in Canada's North. Martchenko's illustrations dazzle the reader as he brings to life the winter season and the events of spring thaw with the ice break up. As Ciara and her community come together to enjoy the rink, then to escape the ice break up, readers are presented with colorful images that spark the imagination.

Recommended.

Kim Dyment, a graduate student in the M.Ed. Program at the University of Prince Edward Island, is also a middle school teacher at Hernewood Intermediate School in PEI.

To comment on this title or this review, send mail to cm@umanitoba.ca.

Copyright © the Manitoba Library Association. Reproduction for personal use is permitted only if this copyright notice is maintained. Any other reproduction is prohibited without permission.
Published by
The Manitoba Library Association
ISSN 1201-9364
Hosted by the University of Manitoba.
 

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