Dino-Hockey (Carolrhoda Picture Books)
"The game begins at half past six, / when dinos grab their hockey sticks." Rhyming couplets set the scene for a fantastical sports event: a hockey game played between opposing dinosaur teams: the Meat-Eaters and the Veggiesaurs. Gott's action-filled paintings amplify the sports moves and the players' comically exaggerated expressions, from the scowling face off between T. Rex and Tricera to the jubilant postgame celebration, covered by eager dino newscasters. Kids new to hockey may need help visualizing terms such as assist and check, but even if they don't have a full grasp of specifics, many children will be caught up by the inventive premise, the slapstick humor, and the energy in the words and pictures. By sorting teams by herbivores and carnivores, this also sneaks in a science lesson that is reinforced with a scoreboard visual. A final page promises a soccer-field sequel. Engberg, Gillian