#761 – Goodnight Hockey by Michael Dahl and Christina Forshay

Goodnight Hockey (Sports Illustrated Kids)
Written by Michael Dahl
Illustrated by Christina E. Forshay
Capstone Young Readers 8/01/2015
978-1-62370-298-4
32 pages age 4—8

“From the first puck drop to the final buzzer, Goodnight Hockey will have every hockey fan cheering. Rhyming text and energetic art perfectly capture the excitement and thrill of a hockey game. Goodnight Hockey is the perfect bedtime story for your young sports fan.” [publisher website ]

Review
As the warm summer air turns to cold winter fare, it is near time to think about snow and ice, particularly ice. With ice comes hockey. Skates are polished and sticks are freshly wrapped. This kind of night is a great time for a new bedtime story. Tonight the story is Goodnight Hockey! A young family heads out for a night of hockey and cheering on their favorite team. The arena is cold, but hot chocolate and a blanket keeps everyone warm. The first puck drops and the excitement begins. Back and forth both teams glide, pushing and hitting the puck toward their opponent’s goal. The net light glows red—SCORE! Before the night is over, a net light will glow red four more times. The game ends 3 to 2.

After the game, it is time to say goodnight. The young boy bids goodnight to the ref, the departing fans, the lone player outside, and exiting cars. Once home, it is time to say goodnight once more. The parents tuck in their boy and say good night. He snuggles under the covers, says goodnight to his parents, and again to his team, and then falls asleep anticipating his own hockey dreams.

The Sports Illustrated Kids Goodnight books always have exciting action on the field, in the arena, or on the diamond. Goodnight Hockey is no exception. The rhyming is crisp, fun to read, and infused with hockey-speak. The illustrations add more to the action with images that sometimes, as in the case of a puck, look as if it will fly out of the pages and smack you on your nose. The winning goal hits the net and the victors raise their sticks high. The opposing goalie lies face down on the ice, presumably in utter defeat.

Between the text and the illustrations—check out the end pages for the perfect hockey arena layout—young kids will feel the excitement of the game as if seeing it in person. The goodnights at home are simple yet sweet. There are no complaints or begs to stay up just one more minute, or two, or maybe three? The young boy says his goodnights, including to a team picture on his wall, and then closes his eyes and waits for his dreams to begin. Goodnight Hockey gives parents an ending that is the perfect segue into saying good night to their child. Both boys and girls will love the story, but I bet Goodnight Hockey will find its way into more boy’s hands.

GOODNIGHT HOCKEY (SPORTS ILLUSTRATED KIDS). Text copyright © by Michael Dahl. Illustrations copyright © 2105 by Christina E. Forshay. Reproduced by permission of Capstone Young Reader, North Mankato, MN.

Purchase Goodnight Hockey at Amazon—Book Depository—IndieBound Books—Capstone Young Readers.

Learn more about Goodnight Hockey HERE.

Meet the author, Michael Dahl, at his website: http://www.michaeldahlwrites.com/
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Meet the Christina E. Forshay, name, at her website: http://www.christinaforshay.com/
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Find more books at the Capstone Young Readers website: http://www.capstonepub.com/
Blog Facebook Twitter @CapstoneYR
. . Capstone Young Readers is an imprint of Capstone.
. . Sports Illustrated Kids is a trademark of Time, Inc. http://www.sikids.com/

Also by Michael Dahl & Christina E. Forshay

Goodnight Baseball

Goodnight Football

Goodnight Baseball reviewed here.

Goodnight Football reviewed here.

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Also by Michael Dahl in 2015
Big Bed for Giraffe (Hello Genius Series) – illustrated by Oriol Vidal
Doll that Waved Goodbye,The: and Other Scary Tales – illustrated by Xavier Bonet
Halloween (Baby Face Series) – illustrated by Jannie Ho
Return of Abracadabra (Hocus Pocus Hotel Series) – illustrated by Lisa K. Weber
Scooby-Doo’s Laugh-Out-Loud Jokes! – illustrated by Scott Jeralds
Werewolf Skin (Igor’s Lab of Fear Series) – illustrated by Igor Sinkovec
. . —too prolific to list all for 2015

Also by Christina Forshay
The Really Groovy Story of the Tortoise and the Hare – written by Kristyn Crow
A Morning with Grandpa written by Sylvia Liu (2016, Lee & Low)
Angel Wings: New Friends written by Michelle Misra (2016, Aladdin)

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Copyright © 2015 by Sue Morris/Kid Lit Reviews. All Rights Reserved

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Full Disclosure: Goodnight Hockey by Michael Dahl & Christina E. Forshay, and received from Capstone Young Readers (an imprint of Capstone), is in exchange NOT for a positive review, but for an HONEST review. The opinions expressed are my own and no one else’s. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”