Author: Maribeth Boelts
Illustrator: Lauren Castillo
Ages: Ages 5-9
A Note From the Publisher: Nothing makes Sierra happy like soccer. Her shoes have flames as she spins the ball down the spread-out sea of grass. But nothing makes her sad like soccer, too, because the restaurant where her auntie works is busy on game days and she can't take time off to watch Sierra play. On game days, her auntie helps Sierra get ready and tells her, "Play hard and have fun." And Sierra does, but she can't help wishing she had someone there to root for her by name, and not just by the number on her uniform.
Why It's On My Bookshelf: I'm a huge fan of Maribeth Boelts book Those Shoes.
So I was thrilled to see the newly published Happy Like Soccer. It is another gem! And don't you just love the name of it!? It provides a lot of validation for kids with similarities to the book's character Sierra. She does not live with her parents - she lives with her auntie. We have quite a few students who don't reside with their parents....they live with grandparents, aunts, uncles, or other guardians. This brought up a lot of discussion on how families look different and that's okay. Sierra is very happy living with her auntie. The story is also about the importance of having people in your life to cheer you on and how good it makes you feel. We talked about how important it is to cheer each other on. However, I'm using this story to validate children who might not be living with their parents and to teach other kids that all families have a different make up. What a great new book!
A Link to This Book And Others You Might Find Helpful:
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