Written by: Loris Lesynski
Illustrated by: Gerry Rasmussen
Published by: Annick Press
Published on: September 1, 2012
Ages: 7+
Provided by the publisher for review through NetGalley
I used to be a devoted ice hockey fan. No sport was as awesome. What can you say to sway a girl who grew up watching Wayne Gretzky and Pavel Bure, some of the best athletes in any sport?
Along the way I've become a soccer convert, however. Partly it's because my kids love it and my husband loves it, partly because the cheering for soccer in Japan is so inclusive and coordinated and so much fun, and partly because of the egalitarian nature of the sport. You don't need parents with enough free time to schlep you and your hundreds of dollars worth of stuff to a 5am rink opening. All you need is a ball, if that. Lesynski captures this perfectly in Soccer Simply Everywhere:
Anything can be a net
Anything can be a ball
Anyone can play the game
Anywhere at all.
How can you not love something so simple?
We love that Lesynski adds so much information here, from history to geography. She even adds in the location of soccer books in a Dewey library (796.334 if you are wondering!). The poems are easy to remember and perfect for little active kids (especially but not only boys) who would normally be difficult to pin down and share poetry with.
Rasmussen's illustrations mesh really well with the lighthearted poems Lesynski gives us. The illustration of weightlifting toes gave my kids a serious case of the giggles.
This book would suit beginning soccer players to the most obsessed aficionados (ie, my son and daughter, respectively). Nothing will go over anyone's head but there's new info about soccer players from Beckham to Ronaldhino. We had fun measuring out knees to 21 degrees and figuring out if our legs really do keep up to our arms.
As the mother of soccer players in a very hot climate, I am very appreciative that this book reminds my kids to Drink some water Now! No waiting!/ You might be evaporating!
My goalkeeping son was especially happy with this little gem:
We asked all the coaches,
The coaches agreed,
What goalkeepers need
Is SPEED!
This is my first contribution to Poetry Friday, held today at Poetry for Children.
This is the tenth book I have reviewed for the Sixth Canadian Book Challenge.
Welcome to Poetry Friday! So glad you were able to join us. Please stop by PoetryForChildren any time, too!
ReplyDeleteNice to have you with us! I had never watched soccer until my kids started playing, but now I love it. I look forward to reading more of your posts!
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