Scholastic is partnering with Kaepernick Publishing to publish Dreamer, the graphic memoir of former Calgary Flames hockey player Akim Aliu, who grew up in Nigeria and Ukraine and moved to Canada at age 18, when he was drafted into the National Hockey League. Aliu will collaborate with writer Greg Anderson Elysee and artist Karen De la Vega on the book, which will be published as a paperback, rated for ages 8-12, on February 7, 2023 with an MSRP of $14.99.

Born in Nigeria to a Nigerian father and a Ukrainian mother, Aliu experienced racism and abuse from the time he was in Pee Wee hockey through his time in the NHL. He spoke out about his experiences in an article in The Players Tribune, titled “Hockey Is Not for Everyone,” which was published in May 2020. Aliu founded the Time to Dream Foundation and is co-founder of the Hockey Diversity Alliance, which aims to eradicate racism in youth sports.

Kaepernick Publishing was founded by football player and activist Colin Kaepernick. Scholastic and Kaepernick Publishing also teamed up to produce the picture book I Color Myself Different, which was written by Kaepernick and illustrated by Eric Wilkerson; the book was a New York Times best-seller.