BIG DREAMS

A girl bucks tradition to play her favorite sport in Hoffman’s picture book.

Red-haired, pale-skinned elementary schooler Gabby loves American football. She wants to play on her own local team, but she can only watch from afar while others participate. Her brother tells her that only boys can play the sport, and her mom worries that she’ll get hurt. However, her dad encourages her to sign up for the local boys’ team: “You have big dreams,” he says. “You aren’t meant to sit on the sidelines. You were born to shine!” At Gabby’s first game, she’s the only girl on the team. This makes her nervous, but she does her best to overcome her anxiety by remembering her dad’s encouraging words. During the big game, she gets a chance to make a pivotal contribution to her team. This inspiring story for young feminists is Hoffman’s latest work after the second edition of The Self-Love Book (2023). Mello’s illustrations will sweep readers away as they break format conventions and splash across the page, and Hoffman’s writing matches their enthusiasm. However, the book could have included more of Gabby’s teammates’ reactions to her presence. Also, the big game seems to happen immediately without any practices first, which makes the timeline somewhat confusing.

An imperfect but valuable addition to sports-fiction collections for young readers.