Brady Brady and the Twirlin' Torpedo. Mary Shaw. Illustrated by Chuck Temple. Toronto, ON: Stoddart Kids, 2002. 32 pp., pbk., $6.99. ISBN 0-7737-6271-X. Subject Headings: Teasing-Juvenile fiction. Hockey-Juvenile fiction. Preschool-grade 2 / Ages 4-7. Review by Dave Jenkinson. **** / 4
	Brady Brady and the Singing Tree. Mary Shaw. Illustrated by Chuck Temple. Toronto, ON: Stoddart Kids, 2002. 32 pp., pbk., $6.99. ISBN 0-7737-6272-8. Subject Headings: Parent and child-Juvenile fiction. Hockey-Juvenile fiction. Preschool-grade 2 / Ages 4-7. Review by Dave Jenkinson. **** /4

exerpt:

"Go home and bake some cookies," yelled a Hound.

"Make sure you don't break a nail!" barked his friend.

The taunts continued through the entire first period and into the second. Brady watched Tes. She was biting her bottom lip.
(Brady Brady and the Twirlin' Torpedo)

Between games, Tree's dad always made him do sit-ups, push-ups, and laps. Tree hated running laps.

On the way to games, his dad talked hockey non-stop. Tree just wanted to listen to the radio.

Before games, while his friends played mini-sticks with a tapeball in the dressing room, Tree was usually with his dad. They sat in the stands watching other teams while his father pointed what the players were doing right or wrong.
(Brady Brady and the Singing Tree)

Young hockey fans first met Brady Brady in Brady Brady and the Great Rink and Brady Brady and the Runaway Goalie. Because Brady is so focused on hockey, his family always had to call him twice to get his attention, hence his repeated given name. While the first volume introduced Brady Brady and his team, the Icehogs, the next volume concentrated on one of Brady's teammates, Chester, and his hockey-related problem. The two most recent volumes continue the pattern of highlighting a member of the team and resolving the complications in her/his life.

Brady Brady and the Twirlin' Torpedo.

     In Brady Brady and the Twirlin' Torpedo, Tes is the only girl on the Icehogs, and, while a few of the Icehog boys had some initial qualms about playing with a girl, Tes's passion for the game, plus her skill, especially her "twirlin' torpedo" spin move that she had learned during her figure skating lesson days, had cemented her place on the team. However, when the Icehogs play the all male Hounds, Tes becomes the target of sexist teasing by the Hound players. As the taunting intensifies, Tes's play deteriorates. In the third period, Brady Brady comes up with a clever idea to take the heat off Tes.

     The "Tree" of Brady Brady and the Singing Tree refers to the nickname that the Icehogs gave Elwood who stood twice as tall as the rest of his teammates. While Tree "loved to play hockey, just for the fun of it," Elwood's father loved hockey for a different reason. He saw Elwood playing in the National Hockey League some day. In holding on to that goal for his son, he pushed Elwood to the point where Elwood simply wanted to quit hockey. One day when the Icehogs were sharing their dreams for the future, including such goals as getting an NHL shutout or scoring an NHL hat trick, Elwood aka Tree shared his dream - to sing in the NHL.

Brady Brady and the Singing Tree.

"I've always wanted to sing the anthem at an NHL game. Don't tell my dad."

     Like the "Franklin" books, the non-didactic volumes in the Brady Brady series show young children being confronted by child-appropriate difficulties, such as teasing and pushy parents, and finding ways, sometimes with some adult help, to solve them. Chuck Temple's cartoon-style illustrations add a great deal to the books' pleasure, and his attention to details make the local ice rinks and their dressing rooms come alive.

Highly Recommended.

Dave Jenkinson teaches courses in children's and adolescent literature at the Faculty of Education, the University of Manitoba.

To comment on this title or this review, send mail to cm@umanitoba.ca.

Copyright © the Manitoba Library Association. Reproduction for personal use is permitted only if this copyright notice is maintained. Any other reproduction is prohibited without permission.

Published by
The Manitoba Library Association
ISSN 1201-9364

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