The Soccer Book: Facts and Terrific Trivia

Gr 3–6—With this year's Copa America tournament, the UEFA Champions League, and the Olympics, interest in soccer will be at an all-time high. Enter this slim resource on soccer that focuses on the quirk and fun of the game. Covering everything from coaching strategies and notorious rivalries to the biggest on-field bloopers, this volume offers a general but engaging sense of the sport. A spread on the evolution of men's and women's soccer uniforms also informs kids on the tendency of highly successful players to have a pair of custom cleats made for each match. A "Dream Team" spread, which rounds up players from all over the globe, is bound to produce reader response, as some familiar faces (for instance, David Beckham) are absent. The past winners of the UEFA Champions League from 1955 to present are charted as well as the winners of the men's FIFA World Cup from 1930 to present. The basic rules and setup of the game are listed and explained in the back matter. The large number of bright photographs and graphic elements in combination with short passages of text make this an easy read.