Who Needs Donuts?

Who Needs Donuts? is the first of two books I’ve read in the last week or so. Never heard of it? I hadn’t, but a friend sent this fascinating 40-page gem to me as a late Christmas present. Every page of Mark Alan Stamaty’s masterpiece contains a picture or reference to a donut. A plain donut, no frosting. Sam, a slender little boy who wants more donuts than his parents could every buy, embarks on a mission to find donuts in the big city. I won’t spoil the ending to Sam’s wonderfully-illustrated journey except to say that donuts can save your life.

Growing Up Hockey is about another little boy, this one a real-life hockey player named Brian Kennedy. If you enjoyed A Christmas Story and love hockey, you’ll be glad to know that reading Kennedy’s account of his love affair with hockey is like listening to Ralphie Parker talk about his obsession for a Red Ryder BB gun. The major difference is that Kennedy schemes for not a rifle to fend off Black Bart but rather a hockey stick with a banana curve and then a Ken Dryden hockey card so that he can boast to his playground pals. The only thing missing from this book is a reference to my favorite food group. But who needs donuts?