Football Fever

by Alan Durant, Kate Leake (Illustrator)

William eats, talks and dreams football, and he's driving his sister crazy! Then one day William's dream comes true and Dad takes him to a football club for the first time. The match kicks off and the tension builds. The score is nil-nil and William has the ball. Will he score and be hero for the day?

32 pages, Paperback

First published April 1, 2006

About the author

Alan Durant is the author of books for a wide age-range, from picture books such as Burger Boy to top-end teenage thrillers (Blood, Flesh and Bones). Having worked as a copywriter at Walker Books, he is now a full-time author.

He's married, with three children and lives just outside London. He does a lot of school visits throughout the UK and abroad and also runs writing workshops.

Reviews

[Yoselin Martínez · Rating 3 out of 5]

El libro ideal para niños o niñas apasionados por el futbol.

“¡La fiebre del futbol!” de Alan Durant en colaboración con @nirvanalibrosinfantil

En esta historia seguiremos la pasión de un niño a través de los ojos de su hermana mayor. Vemos cómo William, contagiado por su padre quien es un gran aficionado del deporte, se vuelve igualmente el fan numero uno.

Wil en su casa patea todo lo que se le atraviesa: calcetines hechos bola, piedras en la calle, todas las pelotas que se encuentra en su casa; y su vocabulario cambia por completo, volviéndose un experto en el lenguaje deportivo.

Por ello, sus padres toman la decisión de incluirlo en un club, para que viva en carne propia su pasión (y saque toda esa energía allí). Así que comienza a entrenar, y vemos su desarrollo, comenzando siendo bastante malo, pero a pesar de ello Wil era el más feliz del mundo.

Es una historia sobre las pasiones, el deporte y el apoyo que se le debe dar a aquellas actividades que amamos desde pequeños.

Recomendado si disfrutas leer historias infantiles y libros ilustrados.

[Busy Mummy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Lovely story for any boy or girl football fan.

[A.m. Layet · Rating 4 out of 5]

The beauty of this book is that it tracks one boy's interest in football through the eyes of his older sister. So it is an interesting read both for boys or girls who play football and boys and girls who don't. Clever, huh! Also, there's a nice running metaphor likening an interest in football to a fever or illness. This isn't a new concept. But it is a new concept for children age 4 plus. And it works! I've not yet met a child who doesn't enjoy this book.

[Library Quine · Rating 3 out of 5]

A nice story about a little boy who is crazy about football/soccer told through the sympathetic eyes of his big sister. The little boy is football mad and kicks everything. Then he joins a football club, and being great at football is not as easy as he expected. With the support of his dad and sister the little boy's enthusiasm is unwavering and then the unexpected happens. A lovely story for the right child.
Winner of the Stockport Children's Book Award.

[Briony Bastin]

Filled with colour and bright pictures.
Useful for a football event ie the world cup and if your children are particularly obsessed with football.
Uses full stops and exclamation marks.
It is a nuclear family, does not have a lot ethnic diversity.