Soccer Star

December 1, 2012

PreS-Gr 2-Gilbert's pesky loose tooth comes out on the playground during a kickball game. He thinks it is safely tucked into his pocket and looks forward to his visit from the tooth fairy. Unfortunately, there's a hole in his pocket. Lewis, another opossum in his class, finds the tooth and puts it in his own pocket. While getting ready for bed, Gilbert makes the heartbreaking discovery and Mom suggests writing a note to the tooth fairy explaining the events of the day. Meanwhile, Lewis proudly puts the tooth under his pillow, thinking he will trick the tooth fairy. This easy reader has three short chapters with charming half- and full-page illustrations. The digitally created art has watercolor enhancements. In the second book, Pinkalicious reveals her love of soccer and the wonderful pink soccer ball she received from her dad. Her team name is the Pinksters and, at the latest game, the team is losing, even with the pink ball. Their opponents are the Ravens (dressed in black, of course). Nothing is going right for the team until Goldilicious (the unicorn) sweeps Pinkalicious away from the field and takes her on a quick world tour to observe girls playing soccer in Egypt, Spain, China, and Italy. She gleans enough information to help the Pinksters win the game. The illustrations are bright and appealing. The descriptive language is rhythmical and full of wordplay. Kann's computer-generated collage pictures are bold and appealing and will draw readers into the story. Beginning readers with a passion for pink will want to add this one to their pinktastic list.-Janene Corbin, Rosebank Elementary School, Nashville, TN

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