Soccer World: South Africa: Explore the World Through Soccer [Hardcover]

Ethan Zohn (Author), David Rosenberg (Author), Shawn Braley (Illustrator)

Book Description

Publication Date: April 1, 2010 | Age Level: 7 and up | Grade Level: 1 and up | Series: Soccer World

Demonstrating how the world’s most popular sport also serves as a common language across all cultures, communities, and ages, this unique handbook explores the diverse country of South Africa through the game of soccer. Documenting the experiences of real-life professional player Ethan Zohn, this guide follows Ethan and his soccer-playing friend Tawela through the home of the 2010 World Cup, as they study ancient cave art and wildlife preserves, observe the migration of whales, and view a professional soccer game at one of the biggest stadiums in the world. Generating engaging, culturally specific activities in math, science, language, geography, and art, this exciting overview includes mask making, hot air experiments, and even learning how to say “hello” in the 11 official languages of the country. Highlighting a beautiful corner of the planet, this reference also provides a chance to choose an actual help project in South Africa, encouraging kids to share their experiences at the Soccer World website.

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

Gr 2-5–A chatty introduction to South Africa using the theme of playing soccer as a universal language. Beginning with a map, the authors touch on the topography, ethnic groups, and various languages that are represented in the country. However, they try to do too much by adding a couple of science experiments, a traditional recipe, and a recycling craft. Illustrations are colorful and add cartoonlike liveliness to the text. While children may recognize Zohn's name as one who dribbled a soccer ball 550 miles from Boston to Washington, DC, adults will know him from reality television shows. It is admirable that the concluding chapter discusses making a difference in the world through participating in charitable groups, but the skewed focus of the book makes it merely a supplemental purchase.Blair Christolon, Prince William Public Library System, Manassas, VA
© Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

From Booklist

After the exciting 2010 World Cup in South Africa, young sports fans will grab this title in the Explore the World through Soccer series to follow up on the game and to learn more about the country. In a semi-fictionalized narrative, real-life professional soccer star Zohn tells how he meets Tawela, eight, a young Xhosa soccer player in Cape Town, and she serves as Zohn’s guide to both the game of soccer and her country as she discusses South Africa’s geography, history, crafts, language, and culture. Zohn sees the Rainbow Nation, where people of many cultures are learning to live together, and from the game reserve to the ocean to Tawela’s home, readers will be caught by the diversity, even as they read specific facts about the physics of surfing, the wonder of ancient cave paintings, and the biology of migrating whales. The text is overly exclamatory, but the open design and line-and-watercolor artwork will encourage browsing, and colored sidebars featuring science projects, crafts, and recipes add additional opportunities for interactive learning. Grades 2-5. --Hazel Rochman

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Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 7 and up
  
• Hardcover: 48 pages
• Publisher: Nomad Press (April 1, 2010)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1934670537
• ISBN-13: 978-1934670538
• Product Dimensions: 8.3 x 8 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 11.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (8 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #945,672 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #77 in Books > Children's Books > Sports & Games > Sports > Soccer

More About the Author

Since winning Survivor Africa, Ethan Zohn has co-founded Grassroot Soccer, an international organization that uses Africa's most powerful role models, pro soccer players, to educate youth about the dangers of HIV/AIDS. Since it's founding GRS has caught the attention of (and now partners with) Nike, the Gates Foundation, FIFA Futbol for Hope, Daimler Chrysler, DeBeers and Kellogg Foundation, and 'graduated' over 330,000 youths. A former pro soccer player himself, Zohn launched Grassroot Soccer UNITED, a US based awareness campaign, by dribbling a soccer ball 550 miles from Boson MA to Washington D.C. In 2010, after Surviving a rare form of cancer, CD 20+Hodgkins Lymphoma, Zohn was asked to be a global ambassador for Stand Up To Cancer and the LiveStrong Foundation. Zohn also keeps himself busy as the national spokesman for America Scores and lends his celebrity to multiple charity organizations, Colon Cancer Alliance, Intergovernmental Renewable Energy Organization (IREO), St. Jude Hospital, and Maccabi USA. Most recently, he was the host of Earth Tripping, an eco-friendly travel adventure show. Zohn returned to reality-TV as a contestant on Survivor All- Star, Fear Factor, Eco-Challenge, and hosted two soccer television shows, The MSG Soccer Report and F.C Fox. He was featured in the documentary film A Closer Walk along with The Dalai Lama, Bono and Kofi Annan. Ethan has also starred in campaigns for Nike, Puma and HP, hosted MTV specials and was a sideline reporter for Major League Soccer, USL, MISL and ESPN Radio.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent writing!, May 18, 2010

By 

Booksrule - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Soccer World: South Africa: Explore the World Through Soccer (Hardcover)

Terrific book for kids into soccer. Writing is intelligent and not dumbed down for kids. Teaches about different cultures through the point of view of sports, showing that we all have something in common.

Educational exercises with a social and moral bent, and lots of fun for sports and soccer fans. In fact even kids not into sports will get something fun and meaningful out of this. And parents reading it to kids will enjoy it too. Highly recommended for homes and schools, kids will love it!

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars My kids love it, April 5, 2010

By 

Anthony Ramirez "Mr. Ramirez" (Washington, DC) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Soccer World: South Africa: Explore the World Through Soccer (Hardcover)

My 4 year old son and his older sister love this book. I recommend it for parents with younger children whom are interested in soccer and learning other cultures.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Wonderful Window..., October 25, 2010

By 

LoganBrasic - See all my reviews

This review is from: Soccer World: South Africa: Explore the World Through Soccer (Hardcover)

for children to look through and spot the similarities that we all share as humans, using the most popular sport in the world as a medium. This book is beautifully illustrated, and walks the reader through the Country of South Africa, sharing a plethora of interesting facts, offering ideas for experiments, and giving the reader a chance to experience some of the culture with recipes and language examples. After watching the world cup, it was absolutely icing on the cake for me to personally learn even more about the rainbow nation, and made me feel even more connected to what was happening there. I would recommend this book to all ages, as the story itself has many great anecdotes for the youngsters, and the factoids and experiments can be fun for all!