McAnulty and Hocking score again.
Max is happy to share his expertise about the most popular sport on the planet: soccer. He claims to know a lot…but does he really?
Max has been playing soccer for three weeks now; he is a self-proclaimed expert, eager to share his knowledge. Max sure seems to know a lot about the game: the right equipment to use, the warm-up routines, the huddles with the coach and teammates, the referees….Yet he also has a propensity to be sidetracked by everything else happening on and around the pitch: the dandelions and four-leaf clovers growing on the field, the ladybugs and worms wandering in the grass, the fans taking pictures; even the clouds in the sky distract him from the most important part of the game for a soccer player: kicking the ball and scoring goals. His teammates are desperate for him to join in the action: “Kick the ball, Max”; “Max, the ball”; “THE BALL, MAX!” Will all the encouragements work? For Max however, it doesn’t really matter: Soccer is all about having fun and meeting new friends. In this second in the Max Explains Everything series, McAnulty reteams with Hocking, together creating a congenial character whose inattention is largely redeemed by the palpable enthusiasm and passion he shows for soccer and the smile he sports throughout the game. Lively illustrations on two-page spreads do justice to a simple, funny, and exciting story, depicting the reality that Max’s narration elides. Max’s team has players who present both male and female; curly-haired, light-brown–skinned Max, though gendered male on the jacket flap, narrates the text without pronouns, allowing multiple interpretations.
McAnulty and Hocking score again. (Picture book. 3-6)Pub Date: Feb. 19, 2019
ISBN: 978-1-101-99640-9
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Putnam
Review Posted Online: Nov. 25, 2018
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Dec. 15, 2018
As implied by the title, the Hokey Pokey takes on a decidedly amphibian tone in this sprightly, cheerful selection, which is filled to the brim with kid appeal. As the song begins, children are invited to join the frogs and follow the traditional lyrics and movements (“Put your right hand in, / Put your right hand out”) until they’ve waved said appendage all about, but then the words change: “Hop the Croaky Pokey / As we chase a fly around, / Right in the froggy’s mouth! / WHAP!” Lively, cartoonish illustrations feature animals at a pond, including a number of frogs (in a delightful variety of greens), none of whom, it turns out, is particularly skilled at catching bugs. As the song continues, hilarity ensues as the blissfully ignorant target fly remains just out of reach, despite all the frogs’ best efforts. But luck like this can’t possibly last forever—can it? Children will giggle throughout, especially at the surprise ending, and will be singing and dancing along in seconds flat. A nice choice for school and home and a good choice for reluctant readers, full of energy, humor and fun. (Picture book. 3-6)
Pub Date: March 1, 2011
ISBN: 978-0-8234-2291-3
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Holiday House
Review Posted Online: Feb. 17, 2011
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 15, 2011
Light on story but delivers an uplifting message all the same.
In FIFA Women’s World Cup soccer champion Wambach’s latest, children are urged to be themselves.
Wambach turned her popular 2018 commencement address at Barnard College into a New York Times bestselling book for adults—Wolfpack (2019), an inspirational treatise that encouraged readers to be themselves and dream big. A second adaptation was published for a middle-grade audience, and now comes the picture book, which breaks down Wambach’s message into a series of simple, declarative statements about taking on adventures, facing fears, and being true to oneself, because “you are a Wolf—and that’s the Wolfpack way.” The eight-point Wolfpack way, which is strung throughout the book and organized as a list at the end, is all good Chicken Soup for the Soul–esque advice, from “create your own path” to “let kindness lead the way.” A rallying cry, “we can do hard things,” appears on a hat worn by one of the children in Rahmalia’s boldly colored illustrations, which provide the basic storyline: A racially diverse ensemble of kids (including one who uses a wheelchair) traverse their neighborhood, board a school bus, spend the day at school doing a variety of activities (including playing soccer), board the bus again for home and dinner, then perform in a musical together. Although the text is somewhat didactic, the presentation of a group of children respecting and supporting one another is a welcome contrast to the U.S.’s divided, conflicted society.
Light on story but delivers an uplifting message all the same. (Picture book. 3-6)Pub Date: Oct. 8, 2024
ISBN: 9781250766854
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Roaring Brook Press
Review Posted Online: Aug. 3, 2024
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 1, 2024
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