SOCCER BEAT
by Sandra Gilbert Brüg & illustrated by Elisabeth Moseng
Newcomer Brüg scores points for rhythm and rhyme in this energetic depiction of a soccer match between a bunch of animals. “On the green / two teams are prancing / Rockets leaping / Cheetah’s chancing,” she begins. In one of Moseng’s lively watercolor spreads, a zebra, camel, dog, and duck chase the ball. They sport numbered jerseys; the giraffe even wears shin guards. “Skip it / hop it / pass it / pop it— / toward the net— / Oh, who can stop it?” It’s so much fun, readers won’t want to. Back matter contains a roster of players by jersey number, so readers can identify the 22 animals pictured in Moseng’s full-bleed spreads. Number 1 on the Cheetahs: a three-toed sloth. The Rockets’ number 1 is a wild boar, making this a real kick for young soccer players. (Picture book. 3-6)