Are you a soccer fan? This summer’s Women’s World Cup has
featured many outstanding games and players. If your child is interested,
remember to register to play in a local league. Remember too, there are
wonderful storybooks about soccer to support an interest in playing and
watching. Any of these titles will “kick up” your child’s interest. Yours too!
Have a great time!
Winners Never Quit
by Mia Hamm
illustrated by Carol Thompson
Mia
loves playing soccer. But when she has trouble scoring a goal and her team is
about to lose, Mia quits. She’d rather quit than lose.
But Mia’s brother and sisters won’t
let her play the next time. “Quitters can’t play on my team,” her brother
Garrett says. Mia stands on the sidelines, watching.
Watercolor paintings with lots of
action show players involved in playing soccer games. Facial expressions
exhibit anger, tears, cheering, shouting and much active play on the green
soccer field.
When Mia is chosen to play the next
time, and her shot on goal is caught, sister Lovdy predicts, “She’s going to
quit.” But Mia decides that she doesn’t “hate losing as much as she” loves playing
soccer. Playing is more important to Mia “than winning or losing because
winners never quit.”
A note from the author, who is an
Olympic Gold Medalist, Soccer World Cup champion, and US Soccer Player of the
year, is at the end. Also, captioned photos of the author as a young girl and
as a champion are included at the back.
HarperCollins, $6.99
(paperback) $17.99 (hardcover)
Interest Level: Junior
Kindergarten – Grade 2
(This book is
available to purchase from local and online booksellers.)
Happy Like Soccer
by Maribeth Boelts
illustrated by Lauren Castillo
Soccer
makes Sierra both happy and sad. She’s happy to make the team. Happy to have
soccer shoes with flames. But, sad because her auntie works at a restaurant
where it’s too busy on Saturdays for her to take off to watch Sierra play.
The
games are played away from Sierra’s neighborhood. She notices the other girls
all have families cheering for them. Then, auntie’s boss asks her if she’d like
to trade her shift, because he’s heard Sierra talking. But it rains and the
final game is canceled. Rescheduling won’t help because “auntie’s boss won’t do
two favors right in a row.”
Ink
and watercolor pictures show the contrast in neighborhoods from Sierra’s inner
city row houses, to outside the city “where the buses don’t run.” Colorful red
and white team uniforms contrast with the dark cloudy sky on the rainy
Saturday, mirroring Sierra’s disappointment.
But
Sierra has an idea. She follows up Coach Marco’s question, is there anything
she needs. She makes a scary phone call with her idea – could the make-up game
be on a Monday in the vacant lot by her apartment? Coach Marco doesn’t promise,
but agrees to “make some calls.”
This
is a sweet story that doesn’t require a goal to make a happy ending. It’s
especially true, since Sierra solves her problem by taking action for her own
idea!
Candlewick Press,
$6.99 (paperback)
Interest Level: Kindergarten
– Grade 3
(This book may be
purchased from local and online booksellers.)
Betty
Bunny is excited about her first soccer game: “I am going to score ten goals!”
Her family, including two brothers, a sister and parents, go to watch her play.
But she does not score even one goal. Betty decides she hates soccer and will
not play any more. Her cleats, uniform and ball all go in the trash. But her
brothers and sister show up in her room to encourage her. And she digs out her
uniform and plays the next game – still unsuccessful at making a goal.
The
pencil, ink, watercolor and gouache illustrations are cartoon-like and enhanced
with lots of white space. The individual family members are rabbits with
distinctive characteristics, accented by their clothing, posture and
expressions. Bright and lively paintings show different animals playing on
Betty’s soccer team.
Finally,
after a family discussion, Betty realizes she’s not very good. She and her
older brother Bill practice together. The comment that “trying is important,
but if you want to get good at something, you have to practice,” is the key to
getting Betty her very first goal.
Dial, $16.99
Interest Level: Junior
Kindergarten – Grade 1
(This book may be
purchased from local and online booksellers.)
Try out these titles
too!!
Soccer Hour, by
Carol Nevius, illustrated by Bill Thomson
Cavendish Square
Publishing, $16.99
Interest Level:
Kindergarten – Grade 2
(This book may be
purchased from local and online booksellers.)
Madlenka, Soccer Star,
by Peter Sis
Farrar, Straus &
Giroux, $16.99
Interest Level:
Kindergarten – Grade 3
(This book is
available to borrow at Miami Dade Public Library: Main Branch, Arcola Lakes,
West Dade Regional. Also, may be purchased from local and online booksellers.)
Kick It, Soccer
by Bobbie Kalman and John Crossingham
Crabtree Publishing,
$8.95 (paperback) $19.95 (hardcover)
Interest Level: Junior
Kindergarten – Grade 3
(This book is
available to borrow at Miami Dade Public Library: Naranja. Also, may be
purchased from local and online booksellers.)
The Sock Thief by
Ana Crespo, illustrated by Nana Gonzalez
Albert Whitman, $16.99
Interest Level: Junior
Kindergarten - Grade 2
(This book may be
purchased from local and online booksellers.)
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