Winners Never Quit! [Paperback]

Mia Hamm (Author), Carol Thompson (Illustrator)

Book Description

Age Level: 4 and up | Grade Level: P and up

Mia Hamm, American soccer champion and best–selling author of Go for the Goal, tells a true–life–inspired story of learning that winning and losing aren't as important as being part of a team.

More than anyone, soccer superstar Mia Hamm knows the value of teamwork and perseverance. She shares this lesson, paired with energetic illustrations by Carol Thompson, in this motivational story perfect for soccer kids and their soccer moms!

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

PreSchool-Grade 2–Mia's favorite sport is soccer but she hates losing. In fact, she dislikes it so much that she quits in the middle of a game. Upset about her attitude, her siblings do not let her participate the next day. Mia learns quickly that there will be times when she will score a goal and those when she will not, but playing the game is the most fun of all. Bright, energetic cartoons depict the child's ups and downs. Attractive endpapers contain colorful sketches of the girl progressing from birth (showing a soccer ball given as a baby gift) through stretching activities, trials of not scoring, and the final celebration of the sport. The text represents the mixed feelings of all athletes learning the game. Parents or coaches wanting a story about the joy of playing soccer without emphasizing winning or losing will find an appropriate read-aloud here.–Blair Christolon, Prince William Public Library System, Manassas, VA
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

From Booklist

K-Gr. 2. The world's top goal scorer and three-time Olympian offers a soccer tale, putatively autobiographical, about a little girl whose tendency to stomp off the field when frustrated prompts her teammates to teach her a lesson. The text perfectly reflects a competitive child's rage when things don't go as desired ("Mia didn't want better luck next time. She wanted better luck now"), as do Thompson's expressive portraits of furious little Mia, all furrowed eyebrows and clenched fists. Hamm's somewhat vague author's note, in which she recalls that "while playing soccer with my family, I learned . . . how to lose gracefully," won't totally satisfy kids' inevitable curiosity about whether or not this incident actually happened. Even so, young soccer enthusiasts will still be relieved to see a larger-than-life heroine reacting to frustration in a familiar way as they learn the lesson about good sportsmanship. A concluding, double-page spread features facts and photos charting Hamm's rise to fame, and a removable glossy photo comes tucked inside the back cover. Jennifer Mattson
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 4 and up
  
• Paperback: 32 pages
• Publisher: HarperCollins (April 25, 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0060740523
• ISBN-13: 978-0439849302
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 10 x 0.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (15 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #219,167 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #74 in Books > 4-for-3 Books > Children's Books > Sports & Activities > Sports > General

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Winning Tale, Told By A Winner, March 18, 2005

By 

Dawn Matheson "Award-Winning Children's Autho... - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Winners Never Quit! (Hardcover)

Winners Never Quit is the delightful tale of a young girl, Mia, who loves to play soccer with her brothers and sisters. She's good at it, too. But one part of the game she hasn't mastered: losing. And when she quits in a temper, she discovers that her negative attitude may cause her to miss out on playing the game she loves. Forced to choose what is most important to her, Mia realizes that winning isn't everything; it's staying in the game that counts.

If anyone could tell this message convincingly, it's author Mia Hamm, star of the U.S. National Soccer Team, an Olympic Gold Medalist, World Cup champion, and five-time U.S. Soccer Player of the Year. In an afterword, Ms. Hamm says, "There is no 'me' in Mia because, in soccer and in life, I could never do it alone."

Children seem to blossom when they realize that others have the same feelings, doubts, desires - the same good and bad traits. It's learning what to do with them that makes them "grow up." Readers will feel they have found a friend in Mia Hamm, someone who was once a child too, and probably had to deal with her own dislike of losing in order to become a champion athlete. Soccer fans will appreciate Mia's removable, autographed color photo in the back of the book.

Carol Thompson's bold, action-filled illustrations are perfect.

[...]

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great message, great book, September 22, 2004

By 

elleinthecity (NYC) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Winners Never Quit! (Hardcover)

This book tells the story of a young soccer player named Mia who quits the game when things don't go her way. It's through her friends, her brother (sweetly named for the author's late brother), and ultimately herself that she realizes that it's not about winning, but rather about just being in the game. In fact, on the last page, she's going for a goal, but the book doesn't say whether or not she scored, just that she was there playing, and that's what counts. There's no better message for a young person that that, as it pertains not just to sports but to life itself. I bought this for my young daughter who is just starting soccer. She doesn't know who Mia Hamm is, but I certainly do, and can't wait to read it to her. Even if she doesn't stick with soccer, the lessons in this book will be ones we talk about for a long time. Mia doesn't disappoint in this book - she proves yet again what a role model she is for all of us. I highly recommend this book!

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars great book, September 27, 2004

By 

nh mom "nhonlinemom" (Portsmouth, NH USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Winners Never Quit! (Hardcover)

this is a great book to teach perserverance and doing your personal best. these two concepts started my daughter's kindergarten school year. her teacher loved the book and said she was going out to buy it immediately for her collection. i bought it for my daughter as she was beginning soccer because i knew she would have similar frustrating moments that might lead to her wanting to quit. The only possible negative part is that her sister yells to her that she is a quitter because she always quits. of course, she overcomes her need to win and score goals and is just happy to play and have fun. as she plays, more things go wrong, but she doesn't quit. in the end she scores. kids learn that Mia Hamm had tough days on the soccer field but kept trying because she loved to play the game. great illustrations too.