I’m Cool!
by
Kate McMullan
illustrated by
Jim McMullan
Edition
Hardcover edition
Publisher
HarperCollins
Imprint
Balzer + Bray
ISBN
9780062306296
Awards and Honors
Children’s Book Committee Bank Street College of Education Best Children’s Books of 2016, Under 5
POTENTIALLY SENSITIVE AREAS
None
It’s intermission at a hockey game—time for the slow-moving, “blade-packing, ice-shaving, snow-eating” Zamboni machine to do the “coolest job in the world.” Full-color illustrations done in watercolor and gouache.
POTENTIALLY SENSITIVE AREAS
None
Details
Format
Page Count
40
Trim Size
11" x 9"
AR
2.1: points 0.5
Lexile
AD490L
Genre
Fiction
Scholastic Reading Counts
1
JLG Release
Feb 2016
Book Genres
Topics
Zamboni. Ice hockey. Sports equipment. Ice rinks.
Standard MARC Records
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Cover Art
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Praise & Reviews
Starred or favorable reviews have been received from these periodicals:
The Horn Book Magazine, The Horn Book Guide^, Kirkus Reviews, Publishers Weekly, School Library Journal
Praise & Reviews
School Library Journal
Our story begins with a sports commentator narrating a hockey game. A player trips on the rough ice and a Zamboni has 18 minutes “to do his thing.” Can he do it? Readers who’ve read any of the McMullans’ odes to big rigs, like I’m Mighty! (2003) and I Stink! (2002, both HarperCollins)), will already know the answer. Our hero takes the stage with “Chill, Big Talker. I’ve got what it takes to go the job. ‘Cause I’m a blade-packing, ice-shaving, snow-eating, water-spraying, slush-slurping, towel-dragging triple-tank truck. Yup.” He smoothes the ice and the game continues. “Coolest job in the world, right here, baby.” The colorful, grinning Zamboni is whimsical but also educational, as he boasts about the blade and augers that make the job possible. VERDICT The authors are clearly still having fun with this format and their young fans will, too.—Amelia Jenkins, Juneau Public Library, AK
Horn Book
It’s intermission at the hockey game, and players stumble to their benches over rough ice. Enter the “ice-shaving, snow-eating” Zamboni to smooth out the rink. But time is short, and this machine works slowly—can the (anthropomorphized) Zamboni finish the task in time? The action begins on the title page and verso, as the loud-mouthed announcer bemoans the condition of the ice, setting the stage for Zamboni’s heroics. As Zamboni so eloquently—and calmly—states, “Even if you know how a bumblebee flies or a spider spins her web, it’s still magic.” There really is something mesmerizing about watching a Zamboni smooth out the ruts in a rink, and Jim McMullan both captures this marvel and demystifies the process by which the machine works in a sequence of cutaway shots. The bright orange top half of the Zamboni contrasts nicely with the cool blue of the ice; text color and style vary according to spread (and Zamboni’s mood). Fans of the McMullans’ previous books (including I Stink!M, rev. 5/02, and I’m Big!, rev. 9/10) will enjoy the machine’s familiar bravado, which is tempered by an amusing dose of nonchalance. Kate McMullan sprinkles wordplay and humorous banter throughout the text (announcer: “Zamboni Machine, ya move like a turtle. Look—the clock’s ticking! Hit the gas!” Zamboni: “TALKER DUDE! Can’t rush my moves . . . SHAZAMBONI!”), making this book as much fun to read aloud as it is to look at. sam bloom
Grades 2-6
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Interests
Biographies,Chapter Books,Fiction,Nonfiction,Positive Messages,Reluctant Readers,Sports
Grades 2-6
Sports Elementary Plus
14 books per Year
$276.08 per Year
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