World Team

by Tim Vyner

"One big round world, one small round ball. Right now, more children than you can possibly imagine are playing soccer." In England, it's 1:00 P.M. and Joe is practicing outside his school. In New York City, it's 8:00 A.M. and Lucy dribbles the ball in and out of the shadows. From India to Brazil, from Italy to South Africa, kids are kicking balls aruond on fields, beaches, and streets. This handsome book takes readers on a journey around the globe and through the world's time zones, creating a team of children who share the glory in the world's most popular game.

Genres: Picture Books, Childrens, Cultural

32 pages, Hardcover

First published May 1, 2002

Reviews

[Frank A · Rating 5 out of 5]

I could relate to growing up playing football and dreaming of one day scoring the winning goal. This book can be used to engage boys, explore different cultures & places and also EAL children to discuss what life is like where they are from. The illusrations are colourful and dominate the page, which means children of all ages can identify with it. I would use this book in KS1 or KS2. There are many follow up activities such as literacy and art lesson you could do usuing this book.

[Jade · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was a little surprised that the smallest member of the household chose this book, since we don't play soccer - but they were interested because they have a friend who does!

This is a little more sophisticated than expected: the book is like a collection of snapshots, showing children in different countries at the exact same moment, all connected by love of the same sport. Basically, it introduces the audience to the idea that it's a different time in different parts of the world, and that people that appear to be different can have something in common.

[Jenna Mills · Rating 4 out of 5]

Lovely

[Logan Marshall · Rating 5 out of 5]

Genre: Contemporary Realistic
Grade Level: 2-3
This book was a very good book to think about all of the people of the world. It is cool how a sport like soccer can link people all around the world to have the same dreams and goals as all of these children do. They want to become someone who plays in the World Cup. This is a good book to read to students who love sports or love learning about different cultures.

[Catherine · Rating 4 out of 5]

One of the things I love about this book is that it implies that soccer is the world sport that unites all of the nations together. It mentions a lot of countries- England, Italy, Brazil, India, U.S., and more- and talks about how as children practice their soccer skills they are dreaming about winning the world cup. The diversity and multiculturalism is wonderful in this book. Could be used around the end of the year, when talking about sports, or to integrate geography into reading and language arts block.

Author: Tim Vyner
Title: World Team
Illustrator: Tim Vyner
Publisher: Random House, UK
Date: April 13, 2013
Genre: Multicultural

[J-Lynn Van Pelt · Rating 2 out of 5]

While I like the fact that the book shows kids from all cultures and many different countries playing soccer, there is no unifying story or purpose. I would recommend this book to an individual student who loves soccer instead of using it as a read aloud.

[Bailee Morillo · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book, though it was not my personal favorite book, had a great topic. This would be great for young boys who love soccer and the world cup. The book also has a great element of world cultures.