HOCKEY OPPOSITES

Opposites collide on the hockey rink. Ghione's text allows the illustrations to tell the story of an animal hockey game in 11 two-page spreads, each of which contains a pair of opposites (the book's only words). Big bison faces off against small beaver, with a raccoon referee. One puck is knocked out by the goalie, while the one on the opposite page goes in for a score. At this development, one team's supporters react with smiles and the other's with frowns. At the end of the game, the team with the loss skates in an orderly, dejected line off the ice, while the team with the win waves sticks in the air and hoists the championship cup. Gürth's bright illustrations, created in Adobe Illustrator, employ a simple, childlike style, with thick, black outlines and solid colors within. Their simplicity and the clean compositions make this concept book appropriate for fairly young target audiences, and the array of familiar North American animals should be easily identified. The hockey theme fills a niche nicely, too. (Picture book. 2-5)