This is the Rink Where Jack Plays follows a practice and hockey game on the rink where Jack plays, lyrically weaving readers through strategy sessions, competition, and goal scoring.
“This is the Rink Where Jack Plays,” by Stella Partheniou Grasso, illustrated by Chris Jones, is the last story in the anthology Our Game, which comprises hockey stories from several Canadian authors and illustrators.
This book leads readers through the quotidian life at a hockey rink, from the Zamboni drivers and practices to the hockey games. The text flows lyrically through the events of the book, careful to always mention the player Jack, who plays at the specific rink in the story, whom we never quite meet, but instead see the elements of the rink that make it special and significant to the players.
Readers are also taught about hockey terms and elements of the game, such as the use of the Zamboni or why players might be put into the penalty box. Readers feel like one of the players and are taken through the story because there isn’t a specific main character. The characters are comprised of various Canadian wildlife, which is a fun element in the illustrations.
There is a big emphasis on Jack, but because the book doesn’t focus on who Jack is, it may be confusing to have that player as an integral piece of the story without being a visual focus. Despite that, the lyrics allow readers to have a fun time interacting with the flow of the text while showing the importance of the people who make the arena memorable.
This book is fairly similar in concept to Let’s Play a Hockey Game!, but it is different enough to fit together in the anthology and not be too similar. Because the stories are separated by Never Enough Hockey!, which contributes to a break in the repetitiveness of the stories, they can complement one another well.
I would recommend this story to hockey lovers who want to enjoy a lyrical hockey book full of their favourite Canadian wildlife.
Text copyright Stella Partheniou Grasso. Illustrations copyright Chris Jones.
Our Game! 5 Hockey Stories releases October 2025, pre-order your copy here.
Order This is the Rink Where Jack Plays here.
Contact the columnist: raegen.prohockeynews@gmail.com
Stella Partheniou Grasso is the author of Take Me Out to the Ice Rink, Five Busy Beavers, There Was an Old Lady Who Swallowed a Puck, Over at the Rink and 101 Creepy Canadian Jokes. She has fond memories of going to local hockey games with her parents and sister when she was growing up. Today, Stella lives with her family in Ajax, Ontario, and remains a big fan of the game.
Chris Jones has been illustrating for children for over ten years. He is the illustrator of Take Me Out to the Ice Rink and This is the Rink Where Jack Plays. He lives in Halton Hills, Ontario, with his two teenagers, wonderful wife and spoiled dog.
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