Meet Willie O’Ree shows how the first Black player in the NHL, Willie O’Ree, built his career and the league despite facing racial discrimination and disability, through determination and his love of hockey.
Meet Willie O’Ree by Elizabeth MacLeod and illustrated by Mike Deas
This Scholastic Canada biography about Willie O’Ree was a pleasure to read. Upon opening the book, I was immersed in the story with one of Willie’s most notable achievements, being the first Black player in the NHL when he played for the Boston Bruins on January 18, 1958.
O’Ree’s story is a touching one. It is full of hardships from not only being Black in a white-dominant sport but also being disabled due to a sports injury, and in learning to persevere through those hardships. Readers see how he achieved his dream as a player and hockey builder, which is an important aspect of his life that is valuable for children to learn about.
The way MacLeod writes about the discrimination O’Ree endured while living in segregation is intentional and allows children to understand the concept while still protecting them from harmful language before they are at an age where they can learn about slavery and racism further in depth. The pages illustrate some of the discrimination O’Ree and other Black people at the time had to face, such as segregation of bathrooms and hotels. MacLeod pairs this fact of life with the story of O’Ree establishing change for himself by getting his hair cut inside the barbershop where he was previously not allowed or expected to venture.
This book’s illustrations are very well done. Upon opening it, I’m met with the vibrant colours of O’Ree in the Boston Bruins’ uniform and the watercolour texture I love and look for in picture books. I always appreciate the textures that watercolours make on the pages in the smaller details of the backgrounds or of the colours blooming within larger washes, which make their own unique texture in the illustrations.
The artwork also stands out with the graphic-novel-esque style in the speech bubbles, which contribute a kind of flair to the story, by adding that depth past the regular text of the book the way Deas mixes the use of hard inked lines with the coloured lines bring balance and emphasis to the parts of the story that require that focus be it the characters or the text.
There is a strong emphasis in the importance of community support portrayed in this book, whether it is from O’Ree’s family and close community encouraging his love of hockey while teaching him of the hardships he’d face with other players, or in the community he built after he retired by helping marginalized children play hockey and learn useful life skills.
Meet Willie O’Ree is a very necessary book that I believe many readers and listeners would enjoy because it is important to learn about the discriminatory side of hockey history that still exists today, and to learn about the experiences of players who have to endure that kind of treatment. This is especially important when such topics are written with a young audience in mind and portrayed very intentionally. I would recommend this book to any hockey or sports fan, regardless of race or ability.
Text copyright Elizabeth MacLeod. Illustrations copyright Mike Deas.
Order Meet Willie O’Ree here.
Contact the columnist: raegen.prohockeynews@gmail.com
Elizabeth MacLeod is an award-winning author of many notable Canadian books. She likes researching and discovering amazing facts, then sharing the information and secrets she uncovers with readers. When she’s not writing, Elizabeth enjoys reading, swimming, theatre, singing, making jewellery and baking. Elizabeth lives in Toronto with her husband, Paul, and their cat, Cosimo.
Mike Deas has illustrated many books over the last 10 years, including the Tank and Fizz series, and he is currently writing and illustrating his own graphic novel series. Aside from writing and illustrating, Mike works on his classic car, a 1960 Chevy Bel-Air, and enjoys hiking and camping as well as reading. He lives with his wife and two young daughters on Salt Spring Island, BC.
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