Reading Hockey in the Wild is like joining in on the fun with old friends the Beaver, the Moose, and the Bear…I’m pretty sure I’ve read all the other books in this series. Each or all of these three friends always seem to get into a bit of trouble while looking for a shortcut, or trying to be more adventurous, or competing with one another (my favorite). In this book the three buddies are determined to start playing ice hockey the moment the lake freezes over – but the ice isn’t thick enough or strong enough. After several failed attempts the three decide to wait for the lake to freeze over. While waiting they hang out together and have fun eating, sleeping and singing karaoke. Finally, the temperature is low enough but they are out of shape! Next comes a regimen of healthy eating and exercise and finally before they take the leap – they look! Once they run all their tests to see that the ice is ready, they play and play and play…..
Thank you NetGalley and Kids Can Press for this free ARC in return for my honest review.

This is an incredibly basic story about three friends waiting for the ice to become thick enough to play ice-hockey. That's it. No more, no less. Basic. However, it's kinda fun - especially if you like ice-hockey or have a kid who does. It certainly makes the point not to skate on the ice until it is sufficiently frozen if nothing else! And the illustrations are sweet.

I requested and received an e-ARC of this book from NetGalley and Kids Can Press in exchange for my honest review.

Being Canadian, I of course love hockey! I didn’t grow up near water so we waited for the first cold snap so we could skate on our friend’s backyard rink. This book was really fun and reminded me of my childhood and the anticipation of the first snow and frozen water.

I love how safe the animals were the second time they tested the ice (first time, not so much) and I also love how excited they were when they finally got to play hockey. Just a fun book about friends wanting to play their favorite sport.

Reading kid's books with a 4-year-old we tend to base books on their repeatability factor. While the illustrations in this book are great, the story wasn't overly interesting. I was surprised that the hockey elements weren't until the end. Maybe young readers who live in colder climates would enjoy it. However, there is no education on the danger of walking on the lake before it's completely frozen over.

Look I have been to exactly one hockey game in my life, but I am 100% on board for a the moose, a beaver, and a bear who play hockey in this story. When the ice on the lake is too thick to go swimming but too thin to play hockey, they return home and snack, nap, and play indoors until finally, it’s hockey season. Unfortunately, they have gotten really out of shape and must condition if they want to get back out on the ice.

This book was super cute. I loved the artwork, and it was a short, simple to follow story. This is a good choice for storytime or bedtime as it doesn’t have longer blocks of text, there are tons of pictures with activity, and kids can recognize the activities and animals. It’s not out until September, but it’ll be a perfect choice for fall and winter, just in time for hockey season.

As a Canadian, I felt that I had to pick up a book about hockey. It's basically law!

Hockey in the Wild by Nicholas Oldland is a fun book about friends playing the fun and frozen game of hockey! The beaver tries to jump into the lake to swim, but the lake is frozen! He grabs his buddies and they decide to lace up their skates and go play a good old game of hockey! Unfortunately, the ice wasn't totally frozen over yet. In the meanwhile, they found other things to do until they could finally play their game!

The illustrations are cartoon-y, simple yet fun. I really enjoyed the style and felt it mashed well with the story. The beaver was the most amusing character design wise for me; he had me giggling a lot.

The safety element of not going on shin ice wasn't there, which got to me as someone who preaches safety, but maybe that could be a learning element? I wouldn't want kids to think it's funny...

Two out of five stars.

Thank you to NetGalley and Kids Can Press for sending me a free copy of this book in exchange of an honest review.

The adorable Life in the Wild trio, bear, moose, and beaver, are ready for the winter freeze so they can play pond hockey. With the long wait with way too much junk food and karaoke, will they be ready when the time finally arrives?

Growing up in the cold Midwest I have hockey running through my veins, so I can totally relate to this delightful trio as they discover the need for patience and preservice in their quest to finally play some good old pond hockey. My son and I enjoyed the fun story and illustrations and are excited to join these cute trio on all of their adventures. He especially loved bear and moose conked out with all their junk food.

Our only complaint is who won… Was it our awesome trio or team Cardinal that took home the cup?

Thank you NetGalley, Kids Can Press, and Nicholas Oldland for the gifted eARC in exchange for my honest review. All opinions are my own.

Beaver wants to go swimming in the lake but it's frozen over! So what should he do? Call his buddies Moose and Bear to come play Hockey instead. This is a cute story that I found myself smiling at on multiple occasions. First of all, let me digress. I live in Florida. We have Hockey teams but they are mainly second nature to us. I am from New York though, so I do have a passion for it which is why this book jumped out at me. All that being said, I think the book is stylized enough where children that don't have a connection to Hockey would still think it was a fun book. Which is why I bring all of this up. It's a great example of not being exposed to something, but still being able to enjoy it.

The Artwork! Credit where credit is due: how clever! Some of these scenes, like the bear eating pizza while the moose lounges on the couch or when all three animals are halfway through the ice..those are so memorable. So is the beaver in the speedo. This is something I can see kids running to the classroom shelves and picking up to read at their desk.

Five stars! Loads of fun. A laugh-out-loud adventurous, winter romp for children (and their parents). Three friends, Bear, Moose, and Beaver can’t wait for the ice to freeze so they can play hockey. They fall through the ice after a premature announcement about readiness and head home to wait for the big day. They play, they sing karaoke, they eat comfort food. All of this makes them ill-prepared and out-of-shape to tackle a game of soccer when the ice really freezes. So, they excercise and eat healthy. At last the day comes for the the big game.

A book filled with happy, humorous illustrations that will put smiles on the faces of its readers.

Cute book and story, but the story was just eh. Not great but not bad. This would do well in communities who are always looking for more hockey books, but probably not as well in others.

Funny story about animals playing hockey. Very relatable for kids waiting for the ice to freeze enough to skate on. Illustrations add so much fun to the story. From the facial expressions to the outfits this book had me laughing every page.

This children's book is a cute story about how three woodland friends cannot wait for hockey season to start, shows the ways they cope while waiting (first the not-so-healthy ways, then the healthy ways), and how sweet it is when they no longer have to wait.

The illustrations are cute and sometimes silly (The moose stirring a pot with a hockey stick? He's committed to this sport!), and complemented the story well.

It was a quick bedtime story for my kids (aged 6 and 3), who both said they liked the story. They laughed at the silly parts (whether in text, illustration, or both) and were smiling at the end.

I just love this series - I always know I'm in for a laugh when I see a new one! This newest installment by Nicholas Oldland, Hockey in the Wild, doesn't disappoint. The three friends - Bear, Moose, and Beaver - are back together, eagerly awaiting winter, when their lake freezes over and it's time for hockey...but the waiting is the best part for readers, as we see the silly things the animals do in their impatience. A great fun book - I really enjoy reading Oldland' books!

I read this book with my six year old daughter. We live in Minnesota so this book was relatable for us. We love hockey and enjoy getting out on the ice, but understand the need for thick enough ice to be able to walk or skate on.

This book would be a great to explain to kids about the cautions of ice and to wait for it to be thick enough to go on.

However, this book wasn’t for us. The pictures were cute, but the story was short and just alright.

Thanks Netgalley and the publisher for my eARC in exchange for my honest review!

I've read all the other books in the Life in the Wild series. For me, this one is the weakest. The story isn't very interesting, and although there are some amusing moments, the whole thing doesn't live up to the humour and heart of the other books.

The beaver tries to go swimming one day, only to find that the lake has frozen over. So he gets his friends, the bear and the moose, to come and play hockey with him. Unfortunately, the ice isn't thick enough for that, and they all end up falling in. While they wait for the weather to change, they do lots of other activities. Finally, it gets cold enough for the ice to thicken, and the animals can enjoy their hockey game.

I guess this might appeal to hockey-obsessed kids, but that's about it. I don't know that I'd even recommend it to fans of the series if they aren't really into hockey, because there's really not much more of a story here. The animals have to wait to play. That's about it. It's not like there's a problem for them to actually solve; patience is all that's required, and while that's a decent message, it makes for a fairly boring picture book.

This is a cute story about two things: learning patience, and most importantly, learning ICE SAFETY for frozen lakes -

Who knew there was a book for ice safety for children? Fantastic!

The safety measures are all taken in succession after a little disaster falling into the ice, and the characters learn what they should in order to have fun in a safe way.

The art is cute and the story well done. Recommended for any family living near winter frozen bodies of water, assuredly.

Thank you to NetGalley and to the publisher for an advanced reader copy for review. Honest opinion given.

POND HOCKEY STORY!
Standard
Hi All! It’s been a while.

Times have certainly changed. When I read this children’s book, I thought that it would be a good one to share.

Posted on blog at: https://patriciamcgoldrickdotcom.wordpress.com/2020/05/02/1576/

Hockey in the Wild by Nicholas Oldland
is a bright cheery take on pond hockey with friends.

It is especially appealing to read during these COVID-19 virus days as we “stay home” and keep a recommended physical distance.


Children, missing their playtime with friends, will find it a welcome distraction.
Thumbs up, too, from this grandparent, looking forward to sharing story with a very special boy and girl in days to come.

Stay well.

Source: Net Galley — Kids Can Press cover photo

Nicholas Oldland never fails to charm and this title is no different. Sneaking in a few lessons about ice/water safety the friends manage to survive until hockey season arrives.

The Bear, The Moose and The Beaver are three lovable characters that are back in action in the new story, "Hockey in the Wild" written by Nicholas Oldland. The children's book tells the tale of these three goofy and endearing woodland creatures that are waiting for the pond to freeze to play hockey outdoors. Will it ever freeze so they can play?

The book is an excellent story with exciting turns as the main characters prepare for their winter hockey season. Our favorite part of the book is when the trio realizes that they are out of shape from eating junk food and they have to start working out again. The kids liked pointing out all of the snack foods in the illustration.

This book is enjoyable for children and adults alike and is a great family read!

Thank you for the opportunity to read and review this title.

Super simple book with super simple illustrations. I might pick this one up from the library but it would have staying power for our home shelves. I think preschool age children would enjoy its simplicity best.