"Who would have EVER thought a farm kid who cared more about art and music than sports would end up in an article onNHL.com alongside a hockey player like Jermaine Loewen!" Those words were written by author Thom van Dycke of Steinbach in a Facebook post that caught our attention.
A southern Manitoba author -- partnering with an NHL hockey player -- to write a children's book!

He shared with us about a very exciting partnership between himself, NHL Certified agent Ray Petkau from Steinbach and NHL draft pick Jermaine Loewen.
The project they worked on is a children's book that Thom illustrated and ended up co-writing with Jermaine. The story deals with racism although, as Thom noted earlier, it's never mentioned in the book - they talk only about kindness -- the antedote to racism.

The book has a unique format -- it's two stories in one, "Ari's Awful Day" and "Mainer's Move". One story starts at the beginning the other at the end and they meet in the middle!

You can listen in to Thom's description of the book and more in the AM1250 Audio Vault. If you'd like to get a copy of the book and you are in the Steinbach area, you can head to Janzen's Paint and Decorating. If you'd rather shop online, head to their website https://arithelion.com/.

What a great way to share a great message with kids of all ages. Thank you Thom!

Thom Van Dycke with Jermain Loewen and then, Jermaine with Ray Petkau.