From School Library Journal
Grade 3-5-These British imports cover rules of the games and techniques, as well as some history and sports heroes. The authors provide some excellent descriptions of stop turns and fakes for soccer players and some fine examples of types of passes in basketball. Pages are busy with circles of "Hot Tips" and "In Training" ideas for practice. Off-putting computer-generated figures of doll-like boys and girls with bulging eyes illustrate the plays. A few color photo action shots, primarily of males, are interspersed throughout the texts. While these titles offer helpful hints for readers who have played the game before, libraries owning the "Superguides" series (DK) do not need them.Blair Christolon, Prince William Public Library System, Manassas, VA Copyright 2001 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Book Description
Learn all of the soccer rules and practice basic moves with the simple and well-illustrated diagrams in this book. Learn how to pass, dribble, turn, receive, defend and shoot the ball. Read all about famous soccer players, study the history of the game, and use the glossary and index to locate specific information. Real photos and computer-generated characters clearly illustrate necessary skills. Gives training programs with exercises and basic drills.

FROM THE PUBLISHER

Learn all of the soccer rules and practice basic moves with the simple and well-illustrated diagrams in this book. Learn how to pass, dribble, turn, receive, defend and shoot the ball. Read all about famous soccer players, study the history of the game, and use the glossary and index to locate specific information. Real photos and computer-generated characters clearly illustrate necessary skills. Gives training programs with exercises and basic drills.

FROM THE CRITICS

Children's Literature

Soccer is a sport played by children and adults of both sexes all over the world. This colorful 32-page picture book introduces the popular sport with a combination of photographs of soccer players in action, computer-generated figures demonstrating various moves, illustrations and text. From the basics—rules, equipment, and player positions—to tips for developing advanced skills, this handbook covers it all in clear, easy-to-understand text and pictures. There are suggestions for individual and team drills, game strategies and tactics, and even brief histories of some of the most famous international soccer stars. This book should be required reading for every youngster who joins a soccer team, and ought to have a spot on every coach's bookshelf. Parents who never played soccer in their youth will find it an invaluable aid to unraveling the intricacies of the game. I doubt this book can live up to its promise to make a child a star player, but at least it will help him/her to be an informed one. 2000 (orig. 1999), Two-Can Publishing, $9.95 and $4.95. Ages 8 up. Reviewer: Michele Tremaine

School Library Journal