Who Is Wayne Gretzky?

Who Was . . . ? Series

by Gail Herman, Who H.Q., Ted Hammond (Illustrator)

After breaking or tying more than sixty records in hockey, it's no wonder that Wayne Gretzky is known as "The Great One." Born in Brantford, Ontario, on January 26, 1961, in a nation obsessed with the sport, he threw himself into the game practically from the time he first laced up a pair of skates. When he retired from the NHL in 1999, he had led several teams to Stanley Cup victories, competed in the Olympics, and changed the way hockey was played forever. Known for his love for family and as a truly decent human being, Wayne Gretzky is revealed as more than a sports legend in this easy-to-read biography.

Genres: Biography, Sports, Nonfiction, Childrens, History, Biography Memoir, School

112 pages, Paperback

First published February 5, 2015

About the author

Gail Herman, formerly a children's book editor in New York City, has written picture books, easy-to-reads, and chapter books, including many titles in the Who Was/What Was series. She lives in Newton, Massachusetts with her family.

Reviews

[Becky · Rating 3 out of 5]

I now understand why the Who HQ books are so popular. Quick, easy, informational read with plenty of illustrations as well. As a hockey fan, I genuinely enjoyed this and learned a few things. Only 3 stars simply because it’s not like it’s amazing literature, but it absolutely has its place in a collection.

Read for local Battle of the Books.

[Coltin · Rating 4 out of 5]

i liked this book because it was a really short read. This book is about Wayne Gretzky grew up and what he did to become so successful in his NHL career and it showed what led up to his career as an NHL superstar

[Brandon Carr · Rating 5 out of 5]

9/9

[Luca Pergine · Rating 4 out of 5]

When Wayne was a little boy he had always dreamed of being an NHL player. He always loved ice hockey that was his passion. Wayne lives in Brantford,Canada hockey has always been played in Canada,Canada invented hockey so you can now see why he plays hockey. In Canada it’s very cold there so in Wayne’s backyard he made a ice rink to skate around in.

When Wayne was playing in a game the fans would boo Wayne because of the TOI for each game. Wayne couldn’t really have a social life because of how focused he was on hockey. Wayne’s family made many sacrifices for Wayne to play hockey. Wayne started playing hockey since he was 5 years old. Wayne at the end of his career has scored 894 in all of his years and has the most goals scored in NHL history. Wayne played for 4 different teams in total. Wayne’s jersey number is 99 and 99 the number is retired in the whole NHL. Wayne played in the NHL for 20 seasons and for 4 teams. When Wayne won the Stanley cup that brought so much joy for Wayne through all of the tough times he’s gone through. Wayne later married Janet Jones and 5 kids named Paulina Gretzky, Emma Gretzky, Ty Gretzky, Trevor Gretzky, Tristan Gretzky.

This book is recommended to biography and sports lovers. This book was fairly easy to read with a lot of very intriguing facts. I honestly couldn’t put this book down, and when I had to it was hard. My overall rate of this book is a 9/10.

[Denise · Rating 4 out of 5]

I like the books in this series for young readers. My only criticism is that the text is often "interrupted" by information that is related to the subject, but not a firm part of the narrative. For example, while the author is relating interesting facts of Gretzky's young life on pages 9-22, pages 12-13 provide information about Canadian Provinces and territories. The text returns to the narrative on page 14, only to be interrupted again on page 20 with a page of information about James Creighton. The story of "Growing Up Gretzky" resumes again on page 21, ending on page 22. While all of the information is interesting, I find the continuous breaks in the narrative disruptive.
Still in all, this and other books in the series provide interesting, accessible information on people and topics about which young readers are interested. The books are illustrated with line drawings. A bibliography and websites of possible interest are listed at the end of the book. For grades 3-6.

[Austin Hagen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Whenever I think of who is the greatest hockey player of all time I always say Wayne Gretzky. Although he does not play anymore he still holds many records including the most career goals, assists, and points. Who Is Wayne Gretzky? is a biography of Wayne Gretzky and is one of the many books in the Who Is/Who Was series. The book goes through his early life and how he became "the great one."

This book would best fit for elementary students who are looking to learn more about Wayne Gretzky because of the quick read and understandability. I enjoyed how Gail Herman described the younger life of Wayne and how he wasn't born the hockey player people know him as today. It was really inspirational to see all of the adversity and struggle Wayne had to go through to become the best hockey player of all time.

[Whitney Stone · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️💫 I don’t usually mark all the short kids books I read with my kids BUT this is my first “Who Is…” book and it was fantastic! Short and informative yet engaging. I’m definitely going to read more with my kids! In this one specifically, I’ve always known “who” Wayne Gretzky was, but realized all I actually knew is that he was the greatest hockey player of all time (but never the why behind that statement.) Fascinating for both hockey and non-hockey folks, children and adults. Definitely want to read his autobiography now!

[Stephen · Rating 3 out of 5]

I liked who is Wayne Gretzky I would recormend it to you if had to do a project about Wayne Gretzky. I liked the book because it tolled me a lot of things I didn't know. This book is not very long so if you're not a fast reader and you don't know much about Wayne Gretzky this probaly is the book for you.

[Chris · Rating 5 out of 5]

Biography #1: This book is fantastic! Most people have heard of Wayne Gretzky, but they don't know very much about him. I already knew some information about him, but this book really helped me get to know his back story and who he was on the ice, and off the ice. It makes sense why people call him "The Great One".

[Miss Sarah · Rating 4 out of 5]

What a commitment this man has to the sport he loves. Playing on a ten year old's team when he's five. Leaving home to play as a teenager. I love his over attitude and especially when he was traded making sure there was a still a job for someone in the locker room he very much cared about. Worth the read. elementary and up

[Esther May · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really knew nothing about Wayne Gretzky before reading this book. I like the who was series, but this one I really enjoyed. This series is great for a entry level overview of famous people throughout history. I could help but find myself at the very last hockey game that Gretzky played, this is a fun read.

[Janice · Rating 4 out of 5]

Life story of the Canadian hockey player. Loved the game since he was a little boy. All he wanted to do was play and practice. Came from a large, close family. A gentleman on the ice. Cared for all. Not someone whom you would think of as a hockey player or a superstar.

Gave some hockey history also.

Kids in lower and upper el liked it.

[Nicole Yann · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a very informative book if you need to do a report on him. It was very interesting to hear about his life. This book series has been my favorite for a long time and I still love to read these books.

[Ms. B · Rating 3 out of 5]

Young hockey fans will enjoy this book that is part of Scholastic's Who is series. Even though this is a chapter book, it didn't feel like a chapter book. Chapters are short and there are illustrations and fact boxes (pages) to break up the text and reading.

[David Rough · Rating 4 out of 5]

This concise biography of one of hockey's greatest players was well done. I am not a super hockey fan, but this life story of Wayne Gretzky provided windows of insights into the life and career of this record-setting superstar of the ice rink.

[Kate · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5🌟
A wonderful chronicle of Gretzky's life and career. My eight year old had no problem reading this beginner chapter book. It highlighted moments in The Great Ones's life perfectly with a happy ending.

For more of my book content check out instagram.com/bookalong

[RougeMyst · Rating 5 out of 5]

I enjoy watching Hockey, and liked reading about Wayne Gretzky

[Alex · Rating 4 out of 5]

It was a great story about wayne life as a boy and a hockey pkayer. Loving hockey, this was a great choice for me. Anyone who like wayne or likes hockey will love this book.

[Blake David · Rating 5 out of 5]

I would recommend this book to people who love hockey.
I like this book because Wayne Gretzky is one of my favorite hockey player to play.

[Lisa Coco · Rating 5 out of 5]

This guy was amazing. Crazy amazing.

[Lev Abrasha · Rating 5 out of 5]

MY FAVORITE CHAPTER WAS THE EDMONTON OILERS HE SCORED 50/50.

[Lionheart · Rating 5 out of 5]

Rated 5 stars
Ages 12+

[Charlotte · Rating 3 out of 5]

I don't love sports, but I do love knowing the stories behind the people and this one was great. Wayne Gretzky was a hard worker and it was fun to learn about him.

[Shahd Rdawi · Rating 5 out of 5]

Read along with audible

[Monika Kozlowski · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love these who is was books

[Anna · Rating 5 out of 5]

An introduction to the formative years and extraordinary career of "The Great One", who brought extraordinary sportsmanship to hockey.

[CHLOE PARK · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this book be cause hockey is a cool sport and he set so many records and not much people can do that.

[Dan · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book shows the progression of Wayn in hockey from age three to becoming a superstar in the sport. It was interesting to learn how he progressed.

[June and Ford Myers · Rating 5 out of 5]

We loved how this book was written! It will keep your attention. Wayne has had such a great life and hockey career!

[Suzi · Rating 5 out of 5]

It;;s 99 degrees outside slistening to hockey biographies is a good thing.