Great

July 15, 2016
If you have a hankering for hockey, when the Gretzky family weighs in, sit up and listen.This is a sports story about attitude, which can rarely be emphasized enough, because it rarely sinks in deep enough to leave its lasting mark. Young Taylor has made Wayne's team--that's "the kid they are already calling the Great One." Taylor brings a world of enthusiasm with him, but he has plenty to learn, first and foremost that he has to stop trying to impress everyone else and stop pouting when he makes a mistake. Gretzky and Holomis keep the narrative simple, sticking to the cardinal rules: "You don't start something and then quit...if you know you're not the biggest or the fastest player, you work on being the smartest," Coach Wally tells Taylor after a blunder. He goes on: "I picked you because you worked hard. You had a great attitude." (Coach Wally is patterned after the Great One's father.) Noting Coach Wally's past tense, Taylor goes on to try to be the best he can be on a team that Sylvester has invested with brio and diversity: boys, girls, white kids, dark-skinned kids, one gentleman with purple locks. Sports will never deliver the most unless the words of Coach Wally are taken to heart: "As long as you have fun, work hard and do your best, that is all that matters." Fun and effort trump commercialization and competitiveness every time in sports, and this book tells a plain truth that Gretzky learned early. (Picture book. 4-8)

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September 1, 2016
Grades K-3 An eager, hardworking kid who loves playing hockey, Taylor joins a team with high hopes of becoming the best player, but he's awed by his teammate Wayne, already known as the Great One. While shooting pucks at his garage door, Taylor feels invincible. In games, though, he makes rookie mistakes like watching the action instead of thinking ahead, and taking a shot when he ought to pass. With encouragement from Wayne and their coach, he begins to think like a team player and enjoys success in the end. Energetic and full of action, the illustrations clearly express Taylor's shifting emotions. Hockey legend Wayne Gretzky contributes a brief forward, and young fans who are familiar with the Great One will enjoy spotting his shock of yellow hair and 99 jersey in the pictures, but this is Taylor's story. While the message is one that kids on sports teams hear repeatedly, this fictional narrative delivers it in a more enjoyable way. An easy choice for libraries serving hockey players and fans.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2016, American Library Association.)