Horn Book (Thu Aug 01 00:00:00 CDT 2019)

Max (Max Explains Everything: Grocery Store Expert) is back, with the accessible comic-book conventions and gouache and colored-pencil illustrations characteristic of his previous supermarket shenanigans. This time, the humor stems from Max explaining soccer while remaining largely oblivious to the game--he picks dandelions, watches clouds, and enjoys a snack, but never remembers to kick the ball.

Kirkus Reviews

Max is happy to share his expertise about the most popular sport on the planet: soccer. He claims to know a lot…but does he really?Max has been playing soccer for three weeks now; he is a self-proclaimed expert, eager to share his knowledge. Max sure seems to know a lot about the game: the right equipment to use, the warm-up routines, the huddles with the coach and teammates, the referees….Yet he also has a propensity to be sidetracked by everything else happening on and around the pitch: the dandelions and four-leaf clovers growing on the field, the ladybugs and worms wandering in the grass, the fans taking pictures; even the clouds in the sky distract him from the most important part of the game for a soccer player: kicking the ball and scoring goals. His teammates are desperate for him to join in the action: "Kick the ball, Max"; "Max, the ball"; "THE BALL, MAX!" Will all the encouragements work? For Max however, it doesn't really matter: Soccer is all about having fun and meeting new friends. In this second in the Max Explains Everything series, McAnulty reteams with Hocking, together creating a congenial character whose inattention is largely redeemed by the palpable enthusiasm and passion he shows for soccer and the smile he sports throughout the game. Lively illustrations on two-page spreads do justice to a simple, funny, and exciting story, depicting the reality that Max's narration elides. Max's team has players who present both male and female; curly-haired, light-brown-skinned Max, though gendered male on the jacket flap, narrates the text without pronouns, allowing multiple interpretations.McAnulty and Hocking score again. (Picture book. 3-6)

Publishers Weekly (Fri Oct 06 00:00:00 CDT 2023)

In his second story (following Max Explains Everything: Grocery Store Expert), Max-a boy with hair like brown yarn-thinks he-s a soccer aficionado. Readers will observe that Max actually prefers finding insects and four-leaf clovers in the field over playing the game. But Max-s disinterest is no big deal; at the sidelines, the kind, gray-haired coach offers him an orange wedge and the -thousands of fans- (really only a handful) watch from the sidelines. A moment arrives for Max to show he-s got skills after all-but, refreshingly, he-s more interested in the promise of after-game snacks than in making the goal. Max is a relatable hero for readers who like being on the field but whose minds might not be entirely in the game. Ages 4-8. (Feb.)