ALA Booklist (Wed Sep 01 00:00:00 CDT 2004)

The world's top goal scorer and three-time Olympian offers a soccer tale, putatively autobiographical, about a little girl whose tendency to stomp off the field when frustrated prompts her teammates to teach her a lesson. The text perfectly reflects a competitive child's rage when things don't go as desired (Mia didn't want better luck next time. She wanted better luck now ), as do Thompson's expressive portraits of furious little Mia, all furrowed eyebrows and clenched fists. Hamm's somewhat vague author's note, in which she recalls that while playing soccer with my family, I learned . . . how to lose gracefully, won't totally satisfy kids' inevitable curiosity about whether or not this incident actually happened. Even so, young soccer enthusiasts will still be relieved to see a larger-than-life heroine reacting to frustration in a familiar way as they learn the lesson about good sportsmanship. A concluding, double-page spread features facts and photos charting Hamm's rise to fame, and a removable glossy photo comes tucked inside the back cover.

Horn Book (Fri Apr 01 00:00:00 CST 2005)

This picture-book anecdote relates how soccer player extraordinaire Mia Hamm learned that playing is more important than winning--but her "don't quit" message comes through a little too loud and clear. Energetic illustrations show a spunky young Mia wearing cleats and sporting a ponytail. The final pages include photographs of Mia playing soccer as a child and as a professional athlete.

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

Even superstar athletes don't come out on top <EMPHASIS TYPE=""ITALIC"">every time. That's the name of the game in this slight picture book about soccer phenomenon Hamm's early lessons in being a good sport. Young Mia loves the cheers she receives when she routinely scores soccer goals in the local games with her siblings and friends. But when things don't go her way—and the ball doesn't go into the net—Mia announces "I quit!" Her poor attitude gets her left out of the action, as nobody likes to play with a whiner and a quitter. "If you can't learn to lose, you can't play," warns Mia's older sister Lovdy. Fortunately, the heroine has an epiphany ("She didn't hate losing as much as she loved soccer") and before long Mia's back, sporting her shin guards. Hamm's (<EMPHASIS TYPE=""ITALIC"">Go for the Goal) message, sure to reach a wide audience of young soccer fans, is important, even if the delivery is a bit on the trite side. Thompson's (<EMPHASIS TYPE=""ITALIC"">A New Room for William) loose-edged pencil-and-watercolor compositions, in both vignettes and full-page scenes, capture the zippy energy of the kids on the field. A brief author's note, scrapbook-style spread and frame-ready autographed photo bring this attractive package to a close. Ages 4-7. <EMPHASIS TYPE=""ITALIC"">(Sept.)

School Library Journal

PreS-Gr 2-Mia's favorite sport is soccer but she hates losing. In fact, she dislikes it so much that she quits in the middle of a game. Upset about her attitude, her siblings do not let her participate the next day. Mia learns quickly that there will be times when she will score a goal and those when she will not, but playing the game is the most fun of all. Bright, energetic cartoons depict the child's ups and downs. Attractive endpapers contain colorful sketches of the girl progressing from birth (showing a soccer ball given as a baby gift) through stretching activities, trials of not scoring, and the final celebration of the sport. The text represents the mixed feelings of all athletes learning the game. Parents or coaches wanting a story about the joy of playing soccer without emphasizing winning or losing will find an appropriate read-aloud here.-Blair Christolon, Prince William Public Library System, Manassas, VA Copyright 2004 Reed Business Information.