For the Love of Soccer!/¡Por amor al ­fútbol!

PreS-Gr 1–The bilingual book, written by the great soccer player himself, opens with two parallel visuals: a young child receiving a soccer ball for his birthday and Pelé, the famous Brazilian soccer player. The book follows this same pattern, with Pelé’s journey from childhood to adulthood on the verso, while the young boy’s story unfolds on the recto. Throughout the story, there are various children with different brown skin tones and hairstyles. Pelé emphasizes his natural love for soccer, but also the importance of practice and teamwork. In a heartwarming conclusion, Pelé and the child meet, and Pelé signs the boy’s soccer ball. Keywords on each page are in bold. The Spanish translations of these words appear in slightly larger and more colorful font, supporting vocabulary recognition and adding interest. ­Morrison’s painterly i­llustrations are warm and filled with ­energy and motion, perfectly conveying the action and suspense of the sport. ­Originally published in English in 2016, followed by a ­Spanish edition in 2020, this work is now being ­released as a bilingual version. A short ­biography of Pelé’s life is included in the back matter.