26 awesome hockey books

Written by Andrew Larsen and illustrated by Jacqui Lee, Kids Can Press (ages 3-7) When a young boy falls asleep to the sounds of the hockey game on the radio, his dreams put him right into the action playing for his favourite team. Little ones with big hockey dreams will love this story that’s perfect for bedtime. $19, indigo.ca

Written by Irene Punt and illustrated by Bojan Redzic and Ken Steacy, Scholastic Canada (ages 7-9) This book is actually three chapter books in one! Each story discusses different issues your young hockey player will encounter both on and off the ice. Novels included in the volume are The Wicked Slapshot, The Funny Faceoff and Hockey Rules! $10, amazon.ca

Written by Kari-Lynn Winters and illustrated by Helen Flook, Scholastic (ages 3-8) Little Sidney Crosbys will love learning basic hockey terms and lingo in this interactive book about Canada’s favourite sport. The book also encourages young readers to practice counting and rhyming. $18, indigo.ca

Written by Lori Weber and illustrated by Eliska Liska, Simply Read Books (ages 4-8) When Granny was a little girl, she wasn’t allowed to play hockey with the boys. She’d watch from the sidelines until her mother called her inside. Now, with the help of her granddaughter, Granny is able to live out her dream, and in a wheelchair, no less. $18, indigo.ca

Written by Roch Carrier and illustrated by Sheldon Cohen, Tundra Books (ages 7-9) When the author of this iconic book was a boy he and his friends were infatuated with the Montreal Canadiens. When the holes in his sweater start to enlarge, his mother forbids him from wearing it and orders a new sweater, except the one he receives isn’t from his favourite team: It’s a Maple Leafs’ jersey. $22, indigo.ca

Written and illustrated by Per-Henrik Gurth, Kids Can Press (ages 2-5) What do you need to have a hockey game? This book explains all the parts of the best sports game in terms that are simple enough for even the littlest fans to understand. $16, amazon.ca

A Franklin TV Storybook, Kids Can Press (AGES 3-8) Our favourite turtle loves playing hockey, and in this book he learns all about what it means to make compromises and be a team player. $5, indigo.ca

Written by Keltie Thomas and illustrated by Greg Hall, Owlkids (ages 8-12) Hockey fanatics need not look any further for the best source of behind-the-scenes hockey information. This book gives its readers an in depth look into the science of skating, the properties of ice, pucks, sticks, masks and what really goes into those magically explosive moves. $13, amazon.ca

Written by Keltie Thomas and illustrated by John Kicksee, Owlkids (ages 8-12) This awesome book is chock full of facts and stories about hockey superstars, great inventions, game-changing rules and all sorts of awesome did-you-knows that changed the course of hockey history. Young readers will learn all about the craziest fights, players’ superstitions, the greatest goal scorers and about that majestic silver cup called Stanley. $13, indigo.ca

Written by Kelly Findley and illustrated by Lorna Schultz Nicholson, Fenn-Tundra (ages 3-7) Puckster and his buddies are huge fans of the Toronto Maple Leafs mascot Carlton the bear and the Montreal Canadiens mascot Youppi. They inspire Puckster to play for the NHL, but in his zeal to impress his teammates, he soon forgets about what it means to work as part of a team. Will he figure out what team spirit means? $7, indigo.ca

Written by Kara Kootstra and illustrated by Regan Thomson, Puffin Canada (ages 3-5) Your kids may not know who Bobby Orr was, but you certainly do. The legendary hockey player’s story has been abridged for teeny readers so that they, too, may learn all about one of NHL’s greats! $20, indigo.ca

Written by Peter Maloney and illustrated by Felicia Zekauskas, Puffin Books (ages 4-8) Tracy has a very special hockey stick: it belongs to Wayne Gretzky. When she uses it, all of The Great One’s skills are magically passed through the stick and given to her! But there’s a catch: the more she uses it, the moreGretzky’s skills start to dwindle. Will she keep the stick for herself or give it back to its rightful owner? $7, amazon.ca

Written by Michael Ulmer and illustrated by Melanie Rose, Tundra Books (ages 4-8) While your kiddos are learning the alphabet, they’ll also be learning a whole lot about hockey, particularly about the history of the Toronto Maple Leafs. They’ll be introduced to hockey legends like Mats Sundin, and learn important hockey terms like “face-off” and the “Air Canada Centre”. $22, indigo.ca

Written by Mike Leonetti and illustrated by Gary McLaughlin, Scholastic (ages 6-10) As a young boy named Tyler reminisces about the time Crosby scored and won Canada the coveted gold medal, he’s reminded about how much he loves the greatest game in the world. $20, amazon.ca

Written by Stella Partheniou Grasso and illustrated by Scot Ritchie, Scholastic (ages 3-7) She sure can fit a whole lot in that mouth of hers. It starts with a puck, moves on to a goalie, a mask, and eventually includes the whole team! $8, indigo.ca

Written by Roy MacGregor and illustrated by Geneviève Després, Tundra Books (ages 6-9) Hockey fanatic Gabriella simply won’t play in a number-nine jersey. She only wears lucky 22! Grandma helps her change her mind. $20, amazon.ca

Written by Kevin Viala and illustrated by Paola Migliari and Laura Rigo, Scholastic (ages 0-3) This board book will teach your mini hockey fans about how the Zamboni cleans an ice rink. $6. indigo.ca

Written by Matt Napier and illustrated by Melanie Rose, Sleeping Bear Press (ages 1-4) It’s a hockey alphabet you’ll find in this board book. A is for arena, B is for Bobby (Orr!), C is for coach and D is for defenceman… $8, sleepingbearpress.com

Written by Christopher Jordan and illustrated by Frank J. Zamboni & Co., Fenn-Tundra (ages 2-5) Designed to be your little one’s first hockey book, this board book starts at A and ends with Z, with all the letters in between rhyming of wordsall about hockey! $9, indigo.ca

Written by Matt Napier and illustrated by David Milne, Sleeping Bear Press (all ages) With two seemingly identical pictures side by side, the aim of this game is to find what may be different about them. Readers will use their sleuthing skills to discover the differences, and read fun facts about hockey, too. $15, sleepingbearpress.com

Written by Matt Napier and illustrated by Melanie Rose, Sleeping Bear Press (ages 0-4) Count from one to 15 and you will learn how each number is related to the game. One Zamboni, two goalies, three goals make up a hat trick, and so on. $8, sleepingbearpress.com

Written by Matt Napier and illustrated by Renné Benoit, Sleeping Bear Press (ages 0-4) This book of rhyming riddles will quickly get those thinking caps buzzing. Put your heads together and try your best to come up with the answers. (Hint: The pictures are clues!) $8, sleepingbearpress.com

Written by Robert Munsch and illustrated by Michael Martchenko, Scholastic (ages 3-7) All Ciara wants is a rink close to home so that she doesn’t have to cross town to play hockey. So, she decides to make one herself! Her community (and some animals, too) happily welcomes the new rink. $8, indigo.ca

Written by Brian MacFarlane and illustrated by Geri Storey, Fenn-Tundra (ages 6-9) Peter Puck’s good friend Tony the Zamboni is itching for a good adventure. When Tony goes missing, Peter and his referee friend George Phair look to find him. Will Tony come home and return to the arena? $13, indigo.ca

Written by David Bouchard and illustrated by Dean Griffiths, Orca Book Publishers A city boy gets introduced to how hockey is played in the country, where they play street hockey instead of ice hockey. This picture book will introduce young ones to a different way to play and enjoy hockey. orcabook.com

Written by William Roy Brownridge, Orca Book Publishers Goalie Danny has a disability that prevents him from being able to wear skates, but that doesn’t stop him from playing the sport he loves with his friends.. hockey. Only one of his friends gets picked for the town team, but later on Danny has the chance to prove that he could be a good asset to the team. Great book with a rewarding ending! orcabook.com

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