Even though spring has arrived across much of the U.S., it’s
still hockey season to sport lovers like me.
We still have a few games left in our ticket package, plus a solid month
of the NHL, plus playoffs. Since my Lil
Guy at age three has become a hockey fanatic, we always are on the look-out for
fun hockey read alouds. I didn’t even
open the book Sam the Zamboni Man before I put it in our bag to take home from
the library. The book looked old fashioned
with 80’s style lettering and a scribbly teal and red front cover. I thought at the very least I would find a
connection for my Lil Guy to the Zamboni which cleans the ice during
intermissions at our local hockey games.
What I found instead was a touching story, albeit a bit dated, about a grandfather
introducing his young grandson to the sport of hockey.
Sam the Zamboni Man introduces us to Matt and Sam, a
grandson and grandfather who connect while watching a game of hockey, you see;
Grandpa Sam drives the Zamboni. The
story is sweet and simple, but describes well the overwhelming feeling and
excitement of watching a live sporting event like hockey. My favorite part is when Grandpa takes Matt
to the empty arena, leaving Matt feeling disappointed, until of course Matt
hears his grandfather over the loud speaker and sees the lights brighten the
ice, leaving an icy playground for the Zamboni driving pair. I even got just a little choked up when Grandpa
Sam tells Matt that next year they will spend their time on the ice, learning
the game of hockey.
While this book wasn’t what I expected, I did enjoy it. Lil Guy will still enjoy it, but it would be
best for hockey loving families, or reading aloud grandfathers. I was pleased to see a book over 25 years old
still in my library, as some of these shelf-filling book often get lost to book
sales to make room for new favorites.
Before hockey season comes to a close, does anyone have a recommendation
for a new hockey picture book? I am looking
forward to searching my library for new sports reads soon.
