Soccer World South Africa

August 1, 2010

Gr 2-5-A chatty introduction to South Africa using the theme of playing soccer as a universal language. Beginning with a map, the authors touch on the topography, ethnic groups, and various languages that are represented in the country. However, they try to do too much by adding a couple of science experiments, a traditional recipe, and a recycling craft. Illustrations are colorful and add cartoonlike liveliness to the text. While children may recognize Zohn's name as one who dribbled a soccer ball 550 miles from Boston to Washington, DC, adults will know him from reality television shows. It is admirable that the concluding chapter discusses making a difference in the world through participating in charitable groups, but the skewed focus of the book makes it merely a supplemental purchase.-Blair Christolon, Prince William Public Library System, Manassas, VA

Copyright 2010 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

September 1, 2010
Grades 2-5 After the exciting 2010 World Cup in South Africa, young sports fans will grab this title in the Explore the World through Soccer series to follow up on the game and to learn more about the country. In a semi-fictionalized narrative, real-life professional soccer star Zohn tells how he meets Tawela, eight, a young Xhosa soccer player in Cape Town, and she serves as Zohns guide to both the game of soccer and her country as she discusses South Africas geography, history, crafts, language, and culture. Zohn sees the Rainbow Nation, where people of many cultures are learning to live together, and from the game reserve to the ocean to Tawelas home, readers will be caught by the diversity, even as they read specific facts about the physics of surfing, the wonder of ancient cave paintings, and the biology of migrating whales. The text is overly exclamatory, but the open design and line-and-watercolor artwork will encourage browsing, and colored sidebars featuring science projects, crafts, and recipes add additional opportunities for interactive learning.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2010, American Library Association.)