Let’s Play Soccer!

Lerwill and Ruiz’s ode to the Beautiful Game offers a portrait of the sport as one that unites, requiring just “two things”: a ball and a place to play. Cheerful prose and gentle watercolors work together as individuals of varied abilities, ages, body types, and skin tones engage with balls of different hues. From a play mat, a baby kicks at a hanging ball (“We can play soccer when we’re very young”), while on the facing page, a gray-haired person who uses forearm crutches prepares to kick (“and we can play soccer when we’re very old!”). Successive scenes show the sport being enjoyed by a group of people wearing blindfolds (“We can play soccer if we’re blind,/ using a ball with bells inside”), a child in a sunny field, and city dwellers at night. Another spread embraces an array of artistic traditions as it shows individuals playing throughout history in ancient Egypt, China, Greece, and Rome. The picture that emerges of soccer’s universality sings as it inspires. Back matter offers more about the sport. Ages 3–5. (Apr.)