Obotette said she was always intrigued by hockey and became even more fascinated when a co-worker took her to see Milwaukee of the American Hockey League live in 2010.
“I thought the puck was going to hit, and I was so scared the whole game,” she said. “But it was fast paced, it was exciting when I went. Later, I thought, ‘How cool would it be to see a female character of color doing hockey?’ I was thinking about my nieces.”
The 40-page hockey book, illustrated by Blessing Odom, tells the story of a young girl who goes to a game with her parents to see her big sister play for Team Umoja.
“Hurray! Hurray! Today my big sister will play. It seems like just yesterday, she was taking ballet,” the book reads. “But now, hockey is her dream, and she’s the best scorer on the team. I am so excited to see her game; I know all her teammates’ names.”
At the end, the book explains the meanings of several hockey terms from “goalie” to “jump the boards” to “Zamboni.”
“To be honest with you, what I originally knew is from what I had seen on TV,” Obotette said. “Part of my series is about exploring. It’s me also exploring and inviting other people to explore.”
