TBC: Bobby Orr's Skates

I have a collection of books that I'm working through on my bookcase shelf that will make it onto HBIC before the end of the year. The problem with having a number of great books on the go mean none have quite been finished yet, so I'll get to work on that. In saying that, Teebz's Book Club returns to the blog today with a very special book that is for the younger hockey fans as I feel I don't review enough books for the kids in the crowd! Teebz's Book Club is proud to review Bobby Orr and the Hand-Me-Down Skates, written by Bobby Orr and Kara Kootstra, illustrated by Jennifer Phelan, and published by Tundra Books! This is a great story about a boy, his skates, and his dreams that incorporates a little bit of hockey history and magic into the story!

I'm sure you know the notable name on the list of authors, and it's true that former Boston Bruins defenceman and Hall of Famer Bobby Orr was a co-author of this book! He, of course, revolutionized the defenceman position in the NHL, using his speed, vision, scoring ability, and skating to win the Art Ross Trophy twice, the Hart Trophy three times and the Norris Trophy eight consecutive times. He won the Stanley Cup with the Boston Bruins twice, earning the Conn Smythe Trophy as playoff MVP on each occasion. Orr retired in 1978 and was enshrined in the Hockey Hall of Fame the following year as the Hall waived the mandatory three-year waiting period for Orr. Today, Orr runs the Orr Hockey Group, a player agency for hockey players.

Bobby Orr and the Hand-Me-Down Skates is the third book that Kara Kootstra has written with respect to Bobby Orr, following her other successful books The Boy in Number 4 and Jay Versus the Saxophone of Doom. Kara's dad is a former NHL player, a retired professor, and a longtime hockey coach, so she grew up loving the game and invested in the history of the game. She graduated from the University of Windsor, and currently resides in the Ontario city with her husband and two children. When she's not using her writing talents for children's books, Kara can be found with music as she's a classically trained singer and pianist!

Jennifer Phelan is a reknowned artist whose works have appeared in American Illustration and 3x3. Phelan's first children's book, Hey, Boy, published by Simon & Schuster, was named as one of the 2017 New York Times Best Illustrated Children's Books. Her second book, The Log Driver's Waltz, brings to life a story through images surrounding the iconic Canadian vignette shown on Canadian TV based on the song by Wade Hemsworth. Jennifer currently live in Toronto with her artist husband, Gleb, where she "works as a designer/PM at Hypenotic, teaches Illustration at Dawson College, and serves on the Board of Directors for Art Starts."

I have to admit that I always want to commit myself to more book reviews for younger fans, and I'm very glad I had the opportunity to review Bobby Orr and the Hand-Me-Down Skates. The story of Bobby and his dream of buying brand-new skates only to find hand-me-down skates in their place woven by Kootstra and Orr sounds a lot like a young boy's story who grew up in Parry Sound, Ontario where he played hockey from dawn until dusk and into the cover of night.

What makes Bobby Orr and the Hand-Me-Down Skates so great is that the story is written in easy-to-understand language as younger readers will latch onto Bobby's story as the pages turn. Combined with the amazing artistry found on the pages throughout the book, Bobby Orr and the Hand-Me-Down Skates is one of those books where younger readers and listeners might gain more from looking at the pictures as the story is read than simply imagining it happening. Phelan's artist work really shines as a nice complement to Kootstra's and Orr's story.

Bobby Orr and the Hand-Me-Down Skates contains a nice message of gratitude as Bobby's wish for new skates doesn't materialize when he expects it, but he doesn't complain about his new hand-me-down skates. This subtle lesson written into the lines of the story is a nice touch, and it may lead to a second lesson of good things coming to those who wait. While Bobby didn't get what he wanted, his selflessness in accepting and being thankful for a gift might lead to better things in his future!

If there's one thing that struck me as I read Bobby Orr and the Hand-Me-Down Skates, it was the similarity to Roch Carrier's Le chandail de hockey where Carrier's protagonist received a sweater for the Maple Leafs as opposed to his beloved Canadiens. While the end of the stories are different, the reaction to the gifts that both protagonists have are entirely different, and the lessons learned in the end may reflect the decisions and reactions made at the discoveries of the lesser-wanted items in both stories. That being said, Bobby Orr and the Hand-Me-Down Skates definitely stands on its own two skates as an excellent story similar to The Hockey Sweater.

I made mention of Jennifer Phelan's artistry in the book above, but it needs its own paragraph because she has done an exceptional job in bringing the story to life through her images. For example, her hand-me-down skates diagram comparing the "features" of the old skates to the new, from-the-store skates that have nothing but shine and sparkle on them is worth the price of the book alone. I have to say that I really appreciated the work that Phelan did in Bobby Orr and the Hand-Me-Down Skates, and I suspect both you and your younger hockey fans will appreciate them too!

Overall, Bobby Orr and the Hand-Me-Down Skates is the kind of story your kids will want to have read to them over and over as they take to Bobby's desire for new skates and absorb the amazing imagery on the 40 pages of the book. That may seem like a long story, but each page has a few lines to a couple of small paragraphs, and it would entirely suitable for a bedtime story. From the great writing to the incredible illustrations to the moral lessons written in between the lines, there's no doubt that Bobby Orr and the Hand-Me-Down Skates is deserving of the Teebz's Book Club Seal of Approval!

You can find Bobby Orr and the Hand-Me-Down Skates at your local bookstores starting tomorrow as the book is released nationwide on September 22! Based on the story, Bobby Orr and the Hand-Me-Down Skates is recommended for all readers of all ages!

Until next time, keep your sticks on the ice!