Review by Booklist Review
In a reversal of the usual competitive sports message, a parent teaches his son to just have fun. At soccer practice, Coach yells, Drill! Drill! Drill! and when the team leaves, she reminds them to Practice! Practice! Practice! for the big game next week. Team captain Mikey is totally driven: We have to win, win, win! Crowds of moms and dads shout from the stands except for Mikey's dad. He wants to have fun with his son, and the two set winning aside to roll in the grass with their puppy, a belly tickle, a belly chickle. The playful illustrations in watercolor and collage show the team playing ball and also goofing off; and the simple, rhythmic words, featuring lots of repetition, will have kids joining in. Best of all are the pictures showing the big grown-up fumbling and stumbling over the ball and loving it.--Rochman, Hazel Copyright 2007 Booklist
From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Review by School Library Journal Review
K-Gr 2-Mikey is serious about learning how to play soccer. When his father picks him up after practice and they head to the park, he is determined to work on his skills, but all Daddy wants to do is fool around. During their energetic outdoor romp, his dad kicks off his shoes and gets silly, and Mikey's frustration eventually turns into enjoyment. Children will relate to the occasion, when a parent wants to the take the seriousness of an athletic game down a notch to the "just have fun" stage. However, the short, staccato-sounding sentences are choppy and awkward. Created in watercolor with collages of printed paper and tie-dyed cloth for T-shirts, the illustrations keep the action moving. Smiling children of many ethnicities follow the directions of a female coach, and the father-son relationship is appealingly depicted. The font size and simple vocabulary make this book appropriate for independent readers. Supplemental for libraries needing more family sports stories.-Blair Christolon, Prince William Public Library System, Manassas, VA (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
(c) Copyright Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
