For every child who has stepped into a locker room and felt the butterflies, The Hockey Jersey by Jael Richardson, Eva Perron and Chelsea Charles will help ease the pre game nerves.

It’s winter and hockey has started. Kareema enters the dressing room on the day of the first big game. The nerves are bubbling up and she can see it on the faces of all the other players. Everyone is feeling a little awkward, no one knows each other that well, yet. When Coach Sylvie enters with their jerseys, the mood in the room instantly changes. They are all part of a team now, they are one. With the support of all of the fans in the stands, they are ready to play their first game.

This book was commissioned by the Bank of Nova Scotia for their hockey for all initiative. There has been a lot in the news about hockey truly being for everyone so it is so important to have books like The Hockey Jersey to show all young players that they are welcome in the game they love. This book features a whole team of female and non binary players. They all look different and they all belong to the team. So many young girls will see themselves in these pages. It’s a book I needed as a young girl playing hockey at a time when there were not many of us out there. Jael Richardson was able to put to words all the feelings that we all feel entering a dressing room for the first time. She was able to take Eva Perron’s experiences as a young Black girl playing hockey and translate them into a story that feels like it represents all young female and enby athletes.

Chelsea Charles’ illustrations are big and bold and in your face in the best possible way. We get to see all of the people who make up the team up close and personal. Her art solidifies the message that hockey is for everyone.