Allstar Hockey Activity Book

Dave Jenkinson is Associate Dean of the Faculty of Education at the
University of Manitoba.

Noah, aged 8, and his father, Julian, have assembled a brief but
entertaining collection of 20 quizzes, puzzles, games, and short feature
articles aimed at juvenile fans of the National Hockey League. The
quizzes and puzzles include matching activities (for example, players’
names with nicknames), multiple-choice quizzes, word finds, and “Who
Am I” puzzles. The book’s two games consist of a “snakes and
ladders”-type board game and a maze game.

Three of the four feature articles focus on content not readily found
elsewhere. The profile of sports cartoonist Dave Elston is both
informative and amusing, while “Radical Stats” provides some unusual
nhl statistics, including the most popular given names of players. The
article on the Hockey Hall of Fame offers nothing new, but young hockey
fans will probably be delighted with the reproductions of five Soviet
hockey cards and their translated texts.

The only off-putting aspect of the book for today’s youngsters might
be those quizzes and puzzles referring to “ancient” players like
Frank Brimsek and Ace Bailey. Cartoon-like illustrations and a few
black-and-white action photos add to the book’s inviting format.

Because Allstar Hockey Activity Book users are to complete the book’s
activities by drawing lines directly on the book’s pages, the title
might make a better home than library purchase. Parents should consider
including this title in their grab bag of things to amuse restless
children during long car rides.