Children's Nonfiction Sports & Recreation
Gordie's Skate
- Publisher
- Thistledown Press
- Initial publish date
- Apr 2023
- Category
- Sports & Recreation, General, Hockey
-
Paperback / softback
- ISBN
- 9781771872355
- Publish Date
- Apr 2023
- List Price
- $14.95
-
Hardback
- ISBN
- 9781771872393
- Publish Date
- Apr 2023
- List Price
- $21.95
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Where to buy it
Recommended Age, Grade, and Reading Levels
- Age: 0 to 8
- Grade: p to 3
Description
Set in Saskatchewan during the Great Depression, this is the story of hockey legend Gordie Howe and his first experience with skating. The book is charmingly illustrated in full colour by Leanne Franson. Bill Waiser is a popular historian and Governor-General's-Award-winning author. Times were hard for five-year-old Gordie and his family in the 1930s. One day, a neighbour, desperate for some money, sold Mrs. Howe a bag of meager possessions. Inside was something wonderful: an old pair of men's hockey skates. Even though they were several sizes too large, Gordie and his sister pounced on them. At first, she and Gordie tried skating on just one foot” then holding hands to keep their balance. Eventually, his sister abandoned her skate, and Gordie grabbed it. He never looked back!
Gordie's Skate is an ode to the love of hockey and a tale about hard times, where a family makes do with what little they had, even eating oatmeal for lunch and supper. It's also a story about kids creating their own fun, with determination—Gordie and his friends played for hours with little or no equipment. This inspirational picture book shows how people came to depend on one another to endure the Great Depression. Gordie Howe's long and celebrated NHL career owed much to his mother's willingness to help a neighbour.
Lively illustrations capture life in Saskatoon in the 1930s, and show how a pair of old skates helped Gordie build skill and confidence and achieve his dreams.
About the authors
Bill Waiser has been a member of the Department of History at the University of Saskatchewan since 1984. He is the author, co-author, or co-editor of nine books, including Loyal Till Death: Indians and the North-West Rebellion, which was a 1997 finalist for the Governor General's Literary Award for Nonfiction, and Saskatchewan: A New History, which was named the best book in prairie history in 2005 and awarded the Clio Prize by the Canadian Historical Association.
LEANNE FRANSON first studied Fine Arts at Concordia University. After working as a dishwasher, massage therapist, short-order cook, waitress, foot courier, and clerk at a fine arts materials shop, she decided to devote herself to illustrating children's books. She has done work for Soulières Éditeur, Annick Press, Scholastic, Les éditions de la courte échelle, Canadian Living Magazine, Bayard Canada, and many more. Originally from Regina, SK, she lives with her son, two cats, and her Saint-Bernard in Montreal.
Other titles by Bill Waiser
In Search of Almighty Voice
Resistance and Reconciliation
Reconsidering Confederation
Canada’s Founding Debates, 1864-1999
A World We Have Lost
Saskatchewan Before 1905
A Century of Parks Canada, 1911-2011
All Hell Can't Stop Us
The On-to-Ottawa Trek and Regina Riot
Who Killed Jackie Bates?
Loyal Till Death
Indians and the North-West Rebellion
Tommy's Team
The People Behind the Douglas Years
Portraits of an Era
The Aerial Photography of Howdy McPhail
Everett Baker's Saskatchewan
Portraits of an Era
Other titles by Leanne Franson
The Girl Who Hated Books
25th Anniversary Edition
Goodnight Jesus
Puppy Pals
The Thumb Series Bundle
The Puppy Collection #8: Nutmeg All Alone
The Puppy Collection #4: Bijou Needs a Home
The Puppy Collection #6: Cricket's Close Call
Princesses Don't Wear Jeans
