The Moccasin Goalie

Lisa Arsenault is an elementary-school teacher in Ajax, Ontario.

Danny and his friends love to play hockey. Danny is the goalie because
he has a “crippled leg and foot” and wears moccasins instead of
skates. When a local league is formed, Danny and his friends don’t
make the team—Danny because he can’t skate, Anita because she’s a
girl and Petou because he’s too small. But Danny gets a chance to play
at the end of the season when the regular goalie is injured. With Danny
playing his best game ever, the team wins the game and makes the
playoffs. The coach asks Danny to stay on the team, and Anita and Petou
are also allowed to join.

This is a classic feel-good story in which the hero’s disappointment
and exclusion are transformed into spectacular success and personal
vindication. In his detailed and suspense-filled description of the
crucial end-of-season game, Brownridge convincingly evokes Danny’s

roller-coaster emotions. Ultimately, Danny’s physical challenge
compromises neither his ability to play the game nor his acceptance by
his peer group. Most of the full-page illustrations depict outdoor
scenes. The pointillist technique used to depict ice and snow gives the
pictures a scintillating, sparkling effect.

This book is highly recommended both for its positive message and for
its joyous celebration of youthful pastimes.