YOUNG PELÉ Soccer's First Star

A torn net in the shade of a mango tree. A ball made of a sock stuffed with rags. Bare feet. Does this sound like an auspicious beginning for “soccer’s first star”? In Brazil in the 1940s and 1950s, young Edson do Nascimento left school and, with his young buddies, the “shoeless ones,” practiced moves, challenged older boys, and raised money for uniforms and shoes—all on his way to becoming a soccer standout. Ibsen Santos is an unobtrusive narrator who sets a leisurely pace and lets young listeners interact with both the text and the illustrations. Santos’s delivery of the thoughts in Pelé’s mind as he plays mirrors his athletic intensity. Radio broadcasts of soccer games add ambiance to the production, and an author’s note provides additional information on the world soccer star. A.R. © AudioFile 2012, Portland, Maine [Published: FEBRUARY 2012]