The Game

The perfect story for the Stanley Cup Playoffs, The Game by Henry Charles (Ten Bears) and Shoshannah Greene, is the story about an epic game between Brown Bear and Killer Whale.

Brown Bear boasts that he can beat Killer Whale at any challenge but how can they prove such a thing when one lives in the water and one on land. Mene hears these boasts and offers a plan. He creates a new game for the animals, on the ice. The first to score a goal will win and earn the trophy. 

Henry Charles has created a beautiful story that reimagines the origins of a Canadian favourite. Hockey is synonymous with Canada and Canada synonymous with hockey so this is the perfect story to honour the great game but also the coastal nations and the Musqueam language.

I love how this story was inspired by the playoff battle between the Canucks and the Bruins in 2011. The Game is also a story that was written and dedicated to the children at Canuck Place, a hospice for terminally ill children and some of the proceeds from the sale of this picture book benefit Canuck Place Children’s Hospice.

This story shows the power of community and the joy and celebration when we come together as a community for whatever the event may be. In this case, the reimagined first ever hockey game and first trophy. Although Henry Charles passed before the story was published, his memory lives through the pages and his love for the game of hockey and his people.

Shoshannah Greene’s illustrations find a wonderful balance between new and old, realistic and cartoonish and perfectly fit the vibe and the mood of the story. I love how she represents all of the Tsleil-Waututh people coming together on the water to enjoy the game.