Pele: King of Soccer

An inspirational read for soccer fans!

Brown, Monica.
Pele: King of Soccer/El rey del futbol.
December 2008.
HarperCollins.
Review copy provided courtesy of publisher.

Pele "O Rei" grew up in a very poor family in Brazil, the largest country in South America. The family's limited resources didn't deter Pele's father from involvement in his young son's life - every night, despite their weariness, Pele and his father played soccer in the streets. Upon finding his father upset one night that Brazil had lost yet another World Cup, Pele makes a promise that one day, he would personally win a World Cup for his father. Pele worked to overcome the hardships stacked against him and in Pele: King of Soccer/El rey del futbol, readers share his story as they watch Pele not only win a single World Cup game, but three! Along with his goals that helped to win the World Cup Titles, Pele also went to score an impressive 1,281 goals!

Soccer fans everywhere will delight in sharing the story of Pele's success. This is also the sort of book you might share with a certain youngster who seems to have the odds stacked against them, but is driven towards success in life! It might just be that little bit of inspiration that helps them overcome that one hump that could virtually "make or break" them! Definitely a wonderful story of inspiration and the payoffs of hard work!

Learning/Reading Activity:

• Take an afternoon and head outdoors with your child(ren) and break out the soccer ball. Check out this link for some helpful hints about teaching your child to play soccer!
  

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