A Very Hockey Christmas. Gilles Tibo. Illustrated by Bruno St-Aubin. Translated by Petra Johannson. Toronto, ON: Scholastic Canada, 2013. 32 pp., pbk., $7.99. ISBN 978-1-4431-2860-5. Kindergarten-grade 3 / Ages 5-8. Review by Kerry Macdonald. *** /4

excerpt:

Finally, it was time to open Santa’s present: hockey skates! But just like everything else, the skates were much too big.

“Don’t worry, Nicholas,” his mother reassured him. “Feet are what grow the fastest!”

While his cousins ran off to play with their fantastic new stuff, Nicholas sat alone, surrounded by his too-big, too-large, too-long hockey equipment.

Nicholas is back, and this time he’s excited for Christmas! Gilles Tibo, the Canadian author who wrote Hurry Up, Nicholas!, Where’s My Hockey Sweater, The Best Goalie Ever, and The Big Game, brings readers another charming story. In A Very Hockey Christmas, all Nicholas wants for Christmas is hockey equipment, and, while his wish comes true, Christmas morning isn’t quite as perfect as he’d hoped. Nicholas must use his problem-solving skills and get creative when none of the hockey equipment he receives fits.

     One of the strengths of A Very Hockey Christmas is the theme of hockey, a favorite Canadian sport and pastime. Tibo touches the hearts of Canadian children and parents alike by combining the hockey theme with the holiday season. Not only does the hockey theme speak to readers, but also the idea of receiving ill-fitted hockey gear is something with which many children are familiar. Young reader’s are sure to break into fits of giggles at the sight of Nicholas trying on his “too-big, too-large, too-long hockey equipment”, item by item.

      The illustrations are one of the strengths of this book. As with Tibo’s other books with the Nicholas character, A Very Hockey Christmas was illustrated by Bruno St-Aubin. The illustrations are eye-catching and done with the utmost attention to detail. St-Aubin uses an array of bold and wonderful colours that are sure to capture readers’ attention.

      A Very Hockey Christmas would be a good addition to a library or home reading collection and would certainly make a wonderful Christmas gift for any young child.

Recommended.

Kerry Macdonald is a librarian at the University of Manitoba in Winnipeg, MB, and the mother of two boys, ages five and nine-years-old.

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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