Through the Looking Glass Children's Book Reviews

Learning to ski with Mr. Magee

Learning to ski with Mr. Magee

Chris Van Dusen
Picture Book  Series
For ages 4 to 6
Chronicle Books, 2010   ISBN: 978811874953

One winter morning Mr. Magee wakes up to discover that fresh snow has fallen in the night. He decides that it is time to “give skiing a try.” Mr. Magee tells Dee, his little dog, that they will practice skiing on a local hill before they try skiing down Mt. Snow.

   Soon they at the top of the hill overlooking the bay. The view is splendid and with Dee in a pack on his back, Mr. Magee starts to ski downhill. At the bottom of the hill there is a moose that is looking for some food. Mr. Magee has not yet figured out how to turn and though he politely asks the moose to move, the animal stays frozen to the spot. To avoid colliding with the moose, Mr. Magee ducks and skis right under the very large animal’s belly. Though he dodged this not inconsiderable obstacle with skill, poor Mr. Magee is not out of the woods yet. His skis get snagged by a log and the man and his dog are flipped up and are headed headfirst for a ravine, which is one hundred feet deep.

   This is one of the books in a wonderful series featuring Mr. Magee, a man who loves adventures, but who is prone to having rather curious misadventures. Children will laugh out loud when they see what happens to Mr. Magee and Dee when they try skiing for the first time.