A Team Like No Other

Marie St. Onge-Davidson is president of the Essential English Centre in
Ottawa.

When Stephen, a young boy who lives in southern Alberta, and his father
are out dogsledding, his father gets knocked off the sled. Stephen, his
lead dog Skoki, and the seven other huskies on the dog team must stop
the sled before they go over a cliff.

The story is based on a true event, and, in just a few well-chosen
words, Graham’s brief narrative captures all the excitement and danger
of that event, as seen through Stephen’s eyes. Enhancing the storyline
are wonderful illustrations depicting with high realism the magnificence
of the Rocky Mountains. The illustrations are rendered in chalk pastel
and chalk pencils on pale-orange sanded paper (a trademark of
Graham’s) in double-page spreads. The beautiful detail of the
scenes—and especially the facial expressions of the boy, his father,
and the huskies—will make every reader pause. A Team Like No Other is
a splendid book and highly recommended.