Despite the clipped content, a bilingual board-book biography about a person of color is a welcome addition.
A compact biography of the legendary Brazilian soccer player.
On the verso, one-sentence facts, in clear Spanish and English, are doled out to readers opposite a full-page scene from Pelé’s life on the recto. Though voiced straightforwardly, many of the facts are interesting, such as that Pelé learned the game from his father using a ball made from a sock stuffed with newspaper. Others pieces of information feel incomplete, such as that Pelé was named after Thomas Edison—Edson Arantes do Nascimento—but readers never learn how he got the unique nickname by which he is known. In both the English and the Spanish texts, one key vocabulary word is printed in a bold and bright type, but some of the word selections are not obvious for toddler readers, who don’t know much about him (beautiful and bonito are set in boldface because that is the word Pelé used to describe the game, for instance). Simple cartoon people with slightly oversized heads are featured in the scenes of Pelé’s life, but, along with his teammates, Pelé never looks like he is older than age 12 even when he joins Brazil’s national team or he is surrounded by a diverse group of children he is teaching. Likely the most successful illustration is the gallery resembling a hall-of-fame exhibit highlighting Pelé’s achievement of scoring over 1,000 goals in his career.
Despite the clipped content, a bilingual board-book biography about a person of color is a welcome addition. (Board book. 2-4)Pub Date: Sept. 22, 2020
ISBN: 978-1-947971-53-0
Page Count: 22
Publisher: Lil' Libros
Review Posted Online: Oct. 26, 2020
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Nov. 15, 2020
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
A passable introduction for little linebackers and half-pint halfbacks, but it will probably please football-enthusiast...
Football basics for the littlest fans.
Each football-shaped page presents American football–related photos and one to two sentences of descriptive text. Many of the images are heavily labeled and captioned with football terminology, such as “end zone,” “helmet,” “cleats,” and “penalty flag.” One of the few double-page spreads presents a bird’s-eye view of the football field and labels such elements as “pylons,” “50-yard line,” and “1-yard hash marks.” It’s anyone’s guess what toddlers will make of the play diagram crowded with X’s, O’s, and arrows. In the photos, almost all the players, who have skin tones that range from white to black, look to be male. Just enough of the basic moves and plays of football are presented for youngsters, such as passing, catching, and kicking. As the book is football-shaped with faux leather cover and imitation laces, little ones may try to throw or kick the book itself. The project ends by encouraging would-be players to have fun and go play.
A passable introduction for little linebackers and half-pint halfbacks, but it will probably please football-enthusiast caregivers more than it will their children. (Board book. 2-3)Pub Date: Aug. 29, 2017
ISBN: 978-1-5344-0400-7
Page Count: 16
Publisher: Little Simon/Simon & Schuster
Review Posted Online: Aug. 26, 2017
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 1, 2018
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
While it is (mostly) an appropriately simple introduction to the sport, the lack of player diversity is discouraging, if not...
A baseball-shaped primer for the littlest sluggers.
Brimming with baseball facts, each round page presents heavily captioned photos and one or two sentences of declarative text. Baseball vocabulary abounds, and little ones can learn the names of the equipment, the positions, various kinds of pitches (“The pitch can be a curveball, slider, fastball, or sinker”), and a few different rules (“If the batter hits the ball, they run to first base”). In the photos, almost all the players, who have a range of hair lengths and look as though they could be both male and female, are white. The final double-page spread shows two different celebratory shots of two apparently all-white Little League teams, with nary a person of color in sight. The small trim size is approximately 5 inches in diameter, which confines the little action that is portrayed, and the narrow binding will likely not survive robust play or library circulation.
While it is (mostly) an appropriately simple introduction to the sport, the lack of player diversity is discouraging, if not out-and-out astonishing. (Board book. 2-3)Pub Date: Feb. 13, 2018
ISBN: 978-1-5344-0399-4
Page Count: 16
Publisher: Little Simon/Simon & Schuster
Review Posted Online: March 3, 2018
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 1, 2018
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
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