World Soccer Kings

World Soccer Kings - Hardcover

$16.99
$16.99
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World Soccer Kings
  • World Soccer Kings
World Soccer Kings - Hardcover

World Soccer Kings - Hardcover

by Charles R. Smith Jr
$16.99
$16.99

Book Overview

by Charles R. Smith Jr (Author)

An exuberant collection of poems about soccer stars around the world crackles with Charles R. Smith's indomitable wordplay, matched by graphic, dynamic photos of the players in action.

Mercurial magician Lionel Messi is on a goal-scoring mission. Erling Haaland earns the nickname Striking Viking (Hat trick! / Off the head / GOAL!). Whether the poems in this book are cheering for the Pennsylvania Pelé, Christian Pulisic; Cristiano Ronaldo, with his record-breaking right; or "Blue Blur" Kylian Mbappé, who torches the net with his afterburn blast, Charles R. Smith Jr.'s high-energy verse, paired with stylized, kinetic photographs, celebrates the talents of an international roster of soccer superstars. End notes bring in more background on the subjects and delve into the way the author uses poetic forms to highlight each player's unique gifts.

Author Biography

Charles R. Smith Jr. is the author of Hoop Queens and Hoop Queens 2 and the companion books Hoop Kings, Hoop Kings 2: New Royalty, Black Diamond Kings: Heroes of Negro League Baseball, and Soccer Queens. He is also the author of Major Taylor: World Cycling Champion, Chameleon, Pick-Up Game: A Full Day of Full Court with Marc Aronson, and the Coretta Scott King Author Honor Book Twelve Rounds to Glory: The Story of Muhammad Ali, illustrated by Bryan Collier. He is the recipient of an National Council of Teachers of English Award for Excellence in Poetry for Children as well as a Coretta Scott King Illustrator Award for his photographs in My People, an adaptation of the Langston Hughes poem. Charles R. Smith Jr. lives in New York.

Number of Pages: 48
Dimensions: 0.48 x 11.9 x 8.2 IN
Publication Date: March 24, 2026
ISBN9781536234879
Author Charles R. Smith Jr
PublisherCandlewick Press (MA)
GenreChildren, Literature, Biography, and Sports
FormatHardcover
PublishedMarch 2026
LanguageENG- English
Pages48
Weight1.0 lb
Target AudienceKids
Print SizeStandard Print

Related Subjects

Juvenile Nonfiction Kids

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About Charles R. Smith Jr

Charles R. Smith, Jr. is an award-winning author, photographer, and poet with over thirty books to his credit. His awards include a Coretta Scott King Award for Illustration (2010) for his photographs accompanying the Langston Hughes poem, My People, and a Coretta Scott King Honor Author Award (2008) for his biography on Muhammad Ali, Twelve Rounds to Glory. Many of his books have also garnered reluctant reader awards, proving that kids that don't like to read do like to read his books. He was born and raised in Los Angeles, California, and currently lives in Poughkeepsie, New York. You can find him at charlesrsmithjr.com. Evening Monteiro is an illustrator from Providence, Rhode Island. They are currently a splash artist at Riot Games. Through the Telescope is their debut picture book.

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