Goodnight Football

July 1, 2014

PreS-Gr 1-It's Friday night, the stadium lights are up, and fans are wrapped up in scarves and hats, sipping hot chocolate. Simple rhyming text and bright, full-bleed, autumn-hued illustrations highlight the excitement of concession stands, the band, and the gridiron heroics of one little boy's favorite team. Nestled between his parents and sister, the little boy watches with the exuberance and knowledge of a seasoned fan as the game progresses. The text introduces football related vocabulary like "receiver," "quarterback," "possessions," and "end zone" for very young sports enthusiasts. When the game is over, the child bids goodnight to the people and places he passes on his way out of the stadium, saying, "Goodnight, mascot./We'll come back soon./Goodnight, /goalposts./Goodnight, /moon." This title will likely appeal to young nonfiction readers and sports fans who aren't ready for the typical fact-filled football books for older readers. The diversity present in the fans and on the football team is an accurate reflection of real sports and makes this a welcome addition to other fall picture books.-Jenna Boles, Greene County Public Library, Beavercreek, OH

Copyright 2014 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

June 15, 2014
The excitement of a family's trip to a football game segues into a Goodnight Moon-like list of goodnights, ending with the young boy in bed, asleep, football tucked under his arm.At the end of the week, an African-American couple and their two children-a boy and a girl-enjoy a night at the stadium under the lights. The coats, hats and scarves worn by this group of racially diverse fans and the blankets and hot drinks they hold mark football as a fall sport. All the sights and sounds of a big game are here, from the cheerleaders and the band to the mascot and the concession stand. The parts of the story describing the action of the game are exciting, but they may be mystifying to those who are unfamiliar with the sport: "On third and one, the ball is snapped. / But the defense breaks through, and the quarterback's sacked!" As their Grizzlies win the game, the boy and his family begin the trek out to the car, saying goodnight to all as they pass: the players and coaches, bleachers, fans, goalposts, even the moon. Much is evident from the small details: the family's love for one another, the good sportsmanship on display on the field and the boy's passion for football. Although the scansion is spotty and the illustrations pedestrian, there are so few football-themed picture books on the shelves already that this is worth a look.At least one fan's dreams will be of the gridiron. (Picture book. 4-7)

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