FernFolio

Every winter, the animals on Stolski’s farm play hockey, practising hard for the big game, the one that will decide the winner of the Stolksi Cup.  Though the Farm Team has lost that big game fifty years in a row to their rivals, the Bush League Bandits, they love hockey and they play with heart.  All of the farm animals lace on skates and hit the ice, from the goats and sheep, to the geese and the pigs, even those who are too big to fit under the goalie’s net, and are therefore disqualified from playing, and those who are too small to make much of a contribution, like the chickens and Little Pete, a runt of a pig.
The Farm Team awakens the morning of the big game feeling that, this year, they might just have a chance at winning the cup, but that’s before they get a look at their opponents.  The Bush League Bandits have assembled the meanest team imaginable, and, right from the opening whistle, it’s clear that they are going to play dirty.  Despite the odds, our heroes manage to hold their own until a porcupine playing for the Bandits crashes into the Farm Team’s goalie, Big George, and puts him out of the game.  Though Betty, the cow, gamely steps into the nets, and they manage to even the score at three all, the Farm Team knows they are in serious trouble when a new player from the crowd puts on a Bandits jersey.  How can they possibly hope to win against a Grizzly?
The Farm Team is a lovely story about a hockey team whose bravery and love of the game help them pull together to overcome enormous odds.  Linda Bailey’s tale reminds us that no one is too small or too insignificant to make a contribution, and, to succeed, one must have the courage to dream.  Bill Slavin’s illustrations are tender, humourous and gorgeously detailed.  Don’t miss this book!
FernFolio Editor