Soccer's G.O.A.T.: Pele, Lionel Messi, and More by Jon M. Fishman
Published by Lerner Publications (Tm) on August 1, 2019
ISBN: 1541556003
Pages: 32
Format: Chapter Book Nonfiction
Goodreads

Kids who enjoy sports will like this series detailing top ten players in each of six sports. This title focuses on soccer (football to readers outside of the United States) and the ten greatest players of all time. The book starts with a short history of the sport and then acknowledges that the top ten players in this book might not be the same as the top ten players on the reader’s list of favorites and allows that it’s okay to have differences of opinions as that is what makes people true fans. The list of greats counts down from 10 to 1 and includes eight men and two women and provides a concise write-up of the accomplishments and any feats achieved. The end matter in the book challenges kids to make their own list of greatest players and share it with family, which is a nice touch. This book would be appropriate for grades 2-4 and would be good for libraries with larger sports collections as the price point with a library binding is high and the material inside is bound to age quickly with the addition of more athletes contributing to the field.

Reviewed by Jill O’Connor, Merrill Memorial Library