Picture Book Pups: Reviewing Leonard Kessler classics
Super Bowl
Super Bowl, from 1980, is one of Leonard Kessler’s lesser-known works, but is very interesting in the amount of detail in the world-building.
Storyline
It’s time for the biggest game of the year – the Super Bowl of the woods! The Animal Champs – consisting of player/coach Dog, Cat, Turtle, Frog, Rabbit and Raccoon – are facing off against the Super Birds – player/coach Owl, Duck, Gull, Crow, Chicken and Goose.
Worm is the Animal Champs cheerleader, while the three little birds are the Super Birds spirit squad.
A week before the big game, the Animal Champs are working on a secret play during practice, while Duck is always late to the Super Birds’ practices because her alarm clock isn’t working.
When the game begins, the Super Birds receive the kickoff, and Duck promptly fumbles. On the Animal Champs’ ensuing possession, a razzle dazzle play means Turtle finds his way into the end zone, and Rabbit’s foot makes it a 7-0 game after the extra point.
Just before halftime, Super Birds quarterback Owl throws a long pass to Gull, who runs into the end zone after Frog misinterpreted Cat’s instructions to “watch that Gull,” thinking he said “watch that girl.” (An easy mistake to make.) Crow tied the game at 7-7 with the extra point.
After receiving the second half kickoff, the Animal Champs were unable to move the ball, punting it back to the Super Birds. Fox the referee calls offsetting penalties on Goose and Turtle for unsportmanslike conduct (for kicking and hitting, respectively).
Duck catches a long pass, but steps into a water bucket and fumbles, and Dog pounces on the loose football with two minutes left to play.
In the huddle, Dog calls the secret play, a long route for Frog, which goes for the game-winning touchdown. After Rabbit’s extra point, the Animal Champs win the Super Bowl by a 14-7 score.
Duck’s teammates console her with the facts that none of them played especially well, and that second place is still a very good season.
While the Animal Champs holler “We’re number one!”, the Super Birds holler back with a message of their own: “Wait til next year!”
Our thoughts
If you grow up obsessed with sports and loving animals, then this was pretty much as perfect a book as the Air Bud series were movies.
This is as big an event for the animals as the Puppy Bowl is for dogdom, which is understandable, and the action beginning before the game starts was a good move.
Throughout this book the yells of the cheerleaders add a lot to the atmosphere of the woods, while the crowd includes cows, foxes and birds of all kinds.