Sam the Zamboni Man

by James Stevenson

Matt visits his grandfather, who operates the Zamboni at the hockey rink, and on his last night there, he becomes the youngest Zamboni driver of all time.

Genres: Picture Books, Childrens

32 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1998

About the author

Librarian Note: There is more than one author with this name in the Goodreads databse.

Reviews

[Sylvester (Taking a break in 2023) · Rating 3 out of 5]

2.5* art
3* story

There's something magical about a zamboni. I have no idea why. But there it is. I've had to hold a little Squirt up to watch as the zamboni circles and circles the ice, and I wasn't allowed to let go until every bit was slick and shiny and new. And each time, man, that kid gets heavier. He just loves it. This book is right up his alley.

[Laurel Zeisler · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love hockey books for kids. Zamboni is fun to say. I wish I could ride on one.

[Teacher. · Rating 4 out of 5]

I didn’t even open the book Sam the Zamboni Man before I put it in our bag to take home from the library. The book looked old fashioned with 80’s style lettering and a scribbly teal and red front cover. I thought at the very least I would find a connection for my Lil Guy to the Zamboni which cleans the ice during intermissions at our local hockey games. What I found instead was a touching story, albeit a bit dated, about a grandfather introducing his young grandson to the sport of hockey.

Sam the Zamboni Man introduces us to Matt and Sam, a grandson and grandfather who connect while watching a game of hockey, you see; Grandpa Sam drives the Zamboni. The story is sweet and simple, but describes well the overwhelming feeling and excitement of watching a live sporting event like hockey. My favorite part is when Grandpa takes Matt to the empty arena, leaving Matt feeling disappointed, until of course Matt hears his grandfather over the loud speaker and sees the lights brighten the ice, leaving an icy playground for the Zamboni driving pair. I even got just a little choked up when Grandpa Sam tells Matt that next year they will spend their time on the ice, learning the game of hockey.

While this book wasn’t what I expected, I did enjoy it. Lil Guy will still enjoy it, but it would be best for hockey loving families, or reading aloud grandfathers. I was pleased to see a book over 25 years old still in my library, as some of these shelf-filling book often get lost to book sales to make room for new favorites.