Dino Hockey by Lisa Wheeler with Barry Gott

I was snooping around the book section in a local pharmacy this morning and I discovered a kid's hockey book I guarantee the young hockey fan on your Christmas list will enjoy.

What do all kids love? Dinosaurs! So what will your little puckster enjoy reading? Dino-Hockey!

Buy the book: Amazon.ca - Chapters - Amazon.com

Written by veteran children's book author Lisa Wheeler and beautifully illustrated by Barry Gott, this book, aimed at ages 4 to 9, is a fun read that can be enjoyed by both kids and parents. The rhyming text had me chuckling, aided nicely colorful paintings of exaggerated expressions of dinosaurs trying to play hockey.

The premise of the book is of a a hockey game played between opposing dinosaur teams: the Meat-Eaters and the Veggiesaurs. The scowling T. Rex redefines intimidation on ice, while the slap stick humor of the pterodactyl twins keep things light. My favorite characters are the overlooked Dodo bird referee, and the concession stand operator selling various forms of prehistoric delicacies to the crowd - meat and plants, of course.

The book was originally published in 2007, and re-released in paperback in September. The paperback release coincides with the release of a new Dino title by Wheeler and Gott, Dino-Soccer. Since the soccer title is hinted at quite promisingly in the back of the hockey title, both books would go good together. By the way, Dino Baseball is tentatively scheduled for release April 2010.

Bottom line - I'm a huge proponent of getting kids into books early, and this fun and funny Dino series by Wheeler and Gott easily attracts kids. Kids will enjoy the books on their own, but it is also a great way to spend some time with mom, dad or an older sibling.