Even hockey legends start with hand-me-downs. A beautifully illustrated true childhood story about hockey great Bobby Orr.
Bobby eats, sleeps and breathes hockey. So when his birthday is coming up, he only wants one thing: new skates. He's seen the exact pair he wants in the shop window: sparkling blades, shiny leather, clean new laces tied in perfect bows. But when Bobby opens his gift, he's dismayed to find hand-me-down skates: scuffed leather, nicked blades, floppy laces.
Once Bobby breaks them in, though, he and the hand-me-down skates become inseparable, and he can't imagine life without them . . . until the brand-new skates come into his life. How can he leave his hand-me-down skates behind?
Log Driver's Waltz illustrator Jennifer Phelan brings this classic story to life with timeless, gorgeous art, and Kara Kootsra's words evoke the joy and dedication that Bobby Orr brought to his favorite sport. A perfect gift for readers and fans big and small, this book is destined to be a classic that is reached for time and time again.
FINALIST
| 2021 Shining Willow Award
“The images for this story are marvelously engaging . . . An excellent contribution to Canada's current hockey collection of illustrated hockey stories. Highly recommended.” --CM Magazine
"The ultimate message of the book is, well, perfect. It really is just perfection, without being schmaltzy . . . a wonderful piece of writing and storytelling for kids (and the whiny adult in your family, thanks, I have my copy now)." --Pro Hockey News
“[T]he young hockey player in your life will surely love Bobby Orr and the Hand-Me-Down Skates by Tecumseh native Kara Kootstra and NHL legend Bobby Orr.”--The Drive
Kara Kootstra has always been a hockey fan. She lives in Windsor, Ontario, with her husband, Kyle, and her two children. Her work includes The Boy in Number 4.View titles by Kara Kootstra
Bobby Orr, born in Parry Sound, Ontario, in 1948, played for the Boston Bruins from 1966 through 1976, and helped lead the Bruins to the Stanley Cup championship in 1970 and 1972, and to the finals in 1974. He also played two years for the Chicago Blackhawks. He is widely regarded as one of the greatest hockey players—maybe the greatest hockey player—of all time. His speed and scoring and playmaking abilities revolutionized the position of defenseman. As of this date, he remains the only defenseman to have won the Art Ross Trophy league scoring title—twice—and still holds the record for most points and assists at that position.
After his retirement in 1978, Orr was active with business and charitable works, and in 1996, Orr entered the player agent business, and today is president of the Orr Hockey Group agency. He has been invested with the Order of Canada and the Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Medal, and in 2010 was one of eight athletes who bore the Olympic flag out during the opening ceremonies of the Vancouver Olympics. The Bobby Orr Hall of Fame is in Parry Sound, Ontario.
View titles by Bobby Orr
Even hockey legends start with hand-me-downs. A beautifully illustrated true childhood story about hockey great Bobby Orr.
Bobby eats, sleeps and breathes hockey. So when his birthday is coming up, he only wants one thing: new skates. He's seen the exact pair he wants in the shop window: sparkling blades, shiny leather, clean new laces tied in perfect bows. But when Bobby opens his gift, he's dismayed to find hand-me-down skates: scuffed leather, nicked blades, floppy laces.
Once Bobby breaks them in, though, he and the hand-me-down skates become inseparable, and he can't imagine life without them . . . until the brand-new skates come into his life. How can he leave his hand-me-down skates behind?
Log Driver's Waltz illustrator Jennifer Phelan brings this classic story to life with timeless, gorgeous art, and Kara Kootsra's words evoke the joy and dedication that Bobby Orr brought to his favorite sport. A perfect gift for readers and fans big and small, this book is destined to be a classic that is reached for time and time again.
Awards
FINALIST
| 2021 Shining Willow Award
Praise
“The images for this story are marvelously engaging . . . An excellent contribution to Canada's current hockey collection of illustrated hockey stories. Highly recommended.” --CM Magazine
"The ultimate message of the book is, well, perfect. It really is just perfection, without being schmaltzy . . . a wonderful piece of writing and storytelling for kids (and the whiny adult in your family, thanks, I have my copy now)." --Pro Hockey News
“[T]he young hockey player in your life will surely love Bobby Orr and the Hand-Me-Down Skates by Tecumseh native Kara Kootstra and NHL legend Bobby Orr.”--The Drive
Author
Kara Kootstra has always been a hockey fan. She lives in Windsor, Ontario, with her husband, Kyle, and her two children. Her work includes The Boy in Number 4.View titles by Kara Kootstra
Bobby Orr, born in Parry Sound, Ontario, in 1948, played for the Boston Bruins from 1966 through 1976, and helped lead the Bruins to the Stanley Cup championship in 1970 and 1972, and to the finals in 1974. He also played two years for the Chicago Blackhawks. He is widely regarded as one of the greatest hockey players—maybe the greatest hockey player—of all time. His speed and scoring and playmaking abilities revolutionized the position of defenseman. As of this date, he remains the only defenseman to have won the Art Ross Trophy league scoring title—twice—and still holds the record for most points and assists at that position.
After his retirement in 1978, Orr was active with business and charitable works, and in 1996, Orr entered the player agent business, and today is president of the Orr Hockey Group agency. He has been invested with the Order of Canada and the Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Medal, and in 2010 was one of eight athletes who bore the Olympic flag out during the opening ceremonies of the Vancouver Olympics. The Bobby Orr Hall of Fame is in Parry Sound, Ontario.
View titles by Bobby Orr
