That's Not How You Play Soccer, Daddy! [Hardcover]

Sherry Shahan (Author), Tatjana Mai-Wyss (Illustrator)

Book Description

Age Level: 5 and up | Grade Level: K and up

Grab a ball! Coach calls. It s time to play soccer! Mikey is the team captain. He works hard, even if his teammates are easily distracted by anthills and whirlybirds. Down the field Mikey charges, dribbling the ball to the goal posts. He cuts and runs, rat-a-tat-tack-ing the ball.

After a tough practice, his dad and dog Socks take him to play in the park, but Mikey only wants to practice for the Big Game. Daddy offers to help, but to Mikey s dismay he doesn t put in much of an athletic effort. He keeps bending the rules and telling his impatient son to just have fun. After an irresistible ticklefest, however, Mikey comes around to Daddy s way of thinking and joins him and Socks in the best soccer game ever!

Author Sherry Shahan contrasts the excitement and fast-paced action of soccer with the simple, easy-going fun of fooling around to show young readers that there is more than one way to play and enjoy a game. Illustrator Tatjana Mai-Wyss s colorful watercolor illustrations reflect the characters winning personalities and the upbeat spirit of the story.

Editorial Reviews

From Booklist

In a reversal of the usual competitive sports message, a parent teaches his son to just have fun. At soccer practice, Coach yells, Drill! Drill! Drill! and when the team leaves, she reminds them to Practice! Practice! Practice! for the big game next week. Team captain Mikey is totally driven: We have to win, win, win! Crowds of moms and dads shout from the stands—except for Mikey's dad. He wants to have fun with his son, and the two set winning aside to roll in the grass with their puppy, a belly tickle, a belly chickle. The playful illustrations in watercolor and collage show the team playing ball and also goofing off; and the simple, rhythmic words, featuring lots of repetition, will have kids joining in. Best of all are the pictures showing the big grown-up fumbling and stumbling over the ball—and loving it. Rochman, Hazel

Review

"In a warm reversal of the usual competitive sports message, a parent teaches his son to let go and just have fun...The playful illustrations in watercolor and collage show the team playing ball and also goofing off; and the simple, rhythmic words, featuring lots of repetition, will have kids joining in." --Booklist

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 5 and up
  
• Hardcover: 32 pages
• Publisher: Peachtree Publishers (September 1, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1561454168
• ISBN-13: 978-1561454167
• Product Dimensions: 8.8 x 10.8 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,017,380 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Sherry Shahan's novel PURPLE DAZE is the powerful story of an unforgettable year. It's a story about war, feminism, riots, love, racism, rock 'n' roll, and friendship. Set in suburban Los Angeles in 1965, six high school students share their intense experiences through journal entries, notes, interconnected free verse and traditional poems. Together they learn important lessons about the world, their friends, and themselves as they take part in America's most volatile cultural revolution. Rock on!

Visit www.SherryShahan.com

DEATH MOUNTAIN is based on a frightening personal experience: Shahan's backpacking group was caught in a deadly electrical storm on an exposed ridge. The pack horse and mule were struck by lightning and killed; three women in her party were airlifted off the mountain by helicopter.

Other adventures include hiking a leech-infested rain forest in Australia, riding horseback into a remote Maasai village in Africa, and bouncing around inside a dog sled for the first part of the famed 1049-mile Iditarod Race in Alaska. Those are just the "A"s . . .

Visit: www.SherryShahan.com