Starred Review With handsome oil paintings and a stirring story, this picture-book biography will first grab children with its action. Just as exciting, though, is the account of Brazilian-born Pelé's personal struggle s amazing rise from poverty to international soccer stardom. The focus is on Pelé's childhood in Bauru, Brazil, in the 1940s and early 1950s. The pictures show him in his multiracial community, especially on the soccer field. He is punished for not paying attention in class; then he gives up school altogether to play soccer. His team, the Shoeless Ones, play barefoot; the ball is a sock stuffed with rags. The kids shine shoes and sell peanuts, until they earn enough for uniforms and second-hand shoes. Inspired by his dad, Pelé plays hard and is chosen as the team captain, and in a triumphant climax, he scores the winning goal in a big youth tournament. An afterword fills in the facts about how Edson (Pelé was a nickname) went on to become the greatest soccer player ever known.The small painting of the team's battered second-hand shoes is a moving testament to its struggle, particularly in contrast to the final triumphant pages when Pelé kicks the ball straight into the goal.

<p>While eight-year-old Edson do Nascimento's classmates are learning the alphabet and math, he is dreaming about playing soccer. Edson is small for his age, but he's determined and obsessed. He and his neighborhood friends form a team they name "September 7" after Brazil's day of independence. They work hard and earn money for uniforms, but there's not enough for shoes. The father of three of the boys volunteers to be their coach and gets some used shoes donated. Pel's father, a former soccer player, also helps his son train. Edson, now Pel, and his team improve and go on to win their game in the youth soccer tournament. An inspiring and indomitable subject and beautiful oils depicting Brazil's diverse population help overcome a rather flat narrative that tells the story of one very poor kid who made good. Missteps along the waya"he gets his nickname early on, but it isn't given meaning until the author's note; suddenly, after several mentions of the ball made of rags, there's a real ball, but no explanation; there are no resources or further reading offered; imagined conversationsa"mar a story that will still have appeal to young soccer fans. (Picture book. 4-9)</p>

K-Gr 2-Edson Arantes do Nascimento, son of a former soccer player and better known as Pele, is the colorful subject of this picture-book biography. Born in Brazil, Pele knew that soccer was to be an important sport in his life from his early years. He formed a team of shoeless, uniform-less friends who regularly played with a ball made from a sock stuffed with rags and tied with string. Focusing on these early years, the author describes the athlete's thrill when he scored a goal in a youth soccer tournament. Ransome's vividly colored, deeply saturated oil paintings create dramatic scenes that contribute to the action of the game. Endpapers of a Brazilian forest establish the evocative mood. This book is for younger readers than Caroline Arnold's Pele: The King of Soccer u(Watts, 1992).-Blair Christolon, Prince William Public Library System, Manassas, VA Copyright 2007 Reed Business Information.