A heartfelt book featuring a neighborhood soccer team and its determined young star, who has a secret plan even more impressive than his bicycle kicks.\nNo one plays soccer like Madani. When the ball lands on his bare feet, the whole town stops to watch. Even Madani’s mother—still sewing the day’s work at home—can hear the crowds cheer when he scores. His teammates wonder what their best player could do, if he only had a proper pair of cleats. As Madani saves up money, bit by bit, his team’s rivalry match approaches. Maybe he’ll have new cleats in time for the big day! Or maybe Madani has a different goal in mind…\nTold with gentle humor and lively illustrations, Madani’s Best Game is a refreshing story about the joys of sports, teamwork, and family.\nFrom School Library Journal\nGr 2-4-This picture book tells the story of Madani, the best soccer player in the neighborhood. He plays with bare feet, scoring goal after goal. His mother, working as a seamstress, hears the distant cheers, but is unable to attend the game due to the amount of work she has. Madani has been saving up all his money, and the children assume it is to buy cleats. However, when Madani returns from his day at the store, he is still barefoot. What he spends his money on leads to his best game ever. The text is told from the children's point of view and is poetic and simple. The soft palette is created with pencil, gouache, and colored pencils. Engaging illustrations are filled with a lot of action and characters for readers to explore. Most of the characters appear white, with a few characters of color in the background. An author's note explains that the story was inspired by Pintadera's experiences with the children in immigrant housing while he was a social worker. VERDICT A good purchase to add to sports collections, books on family, or those on sportsmanship.-V. Lynn Christiansenα(c) Copyright 2011. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

Madani's Best Game

Children's Books

Pintadera, Fran

Growing Up & Facts of Life

Eerdmans Books for Young Readers

In a soft voice, Mario asks, 'why do we cry?' His mum thinks for a moment, and then begins to tell him about the many reasons for our tears. We cry because our sadness is so huge it must escape from our bodies. Because we don't understand the world, and our tears go in search of an answer. Because we can't find the right words, and our tears speak a universal language. Most important, she tells him, we cry because we feel like crying. And, as she shows him then, sometimes we feel like crying for joy. To extend the concepts in the story, back matter describes the physical aspects and benefits of tears and provides two activities.

Why Do We Cry?

Kids Can Press

From the creators of the highly acclaimed Why Do We Cry? comes this poignant, evocative exploration of the many reasons we feel fear. After a clap of thunder, the lights in Max's house go out. Max's father lights a candle, and Max asks, “Dad, have you ever been afraid?” His father says everyone is afraid sometimes. Then he slowly and carefully begins to describe the contours of fear. He explains how even small fears can seem to flood everything around us. He enumerates the many different things that can make us afraid: shadows, feeling lonely, losing what we love, not being able to control the future and fading away. And he reassures his young son that while our fears can stop us in our tracks, we must keep going. Award-winning author Fran Pintadera's poetic text together with Ana Sender's stunning imagery make for an entrancing picture book about emotions. It makes clear that fear is a normal part of life and that when we can identify our fears, it's easier to accept them and to move past them. A wonderful conversation starter, this book could be used to help young children understand and process their fears and, more generally, why we feel our feelings. It makes an excellent choice for lessons on social-emotional learning. Back matter includes informational content about the different types of fear, the purpose and usefulness of fear, and an activity to further explore some of the story's key concepts.

Why Are We Afraid? (-)

Se busca culpable (Spanish Edition)

Humor

Editorial Libre Albedrío

Madani is the best player on the team even though he plays barefoot. He saves all his money in a box for a special purchase. His teammates think he is going to buy cleats to improve his game, but he shows everyone that his best move happened off the pitch.

La Mejor Jugada de Madani (Spanish Edition)

Ekare Europa

There are many lullabies that can put children to sleep, but there are not that many that can gently wake them up. With this tender book, children greet the morning with a smile for a day full of new experiences and things to learn.

Nana para despertar a un niño (Spanish Edition)

La Fragatina

Our mothers are everything to us. They provide life and care that we need in our first months. But, they also give us much more. A precious rhyming poem by Fran Pintadera and illustrated by Txell Darné appreciates babies as much as their mothers.

¿Qué es mamá? (Spanish Edition)

Literature & Fiction

<div>A poetic illustrated album that reminds us that tears help us grow, calm us down, and heal our wounds. It also shows that we all cry: girls and boys, small and big, high or low... Un poético álbum ilustrado que nos recuerda que las lágrimas nos riegan muy lentamente y nos ayudan a crecer, nos calman y son un bálsamo para las heridas. Y que todos lloramos: niñas y niños, pequeños y grandes, altos y bajos...</div>

¿Por qué lloramos? (6) (Spanish Edition)

Akiara Books

"Dad, have you ever been afraid?", says Max. And his dad tells him about shadows, mazes, blows, dreams, and armors.A beautiful and inspiring picture book reminding us that fear has always beenpart of life and needs to be expressed. It keeps us alert and allows us to get to unexplored places in ourselves.

¿Por qué tenemos miedo? (24) (Spanish Edition)

Education & Reference

A beautifully illustrated story about motion and stillness, doing and not doing, observation and acceptance.

Verbena y Colibrí (27) (Akialbum) (Spanish Edition)

Science, Nature & How It Works

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Books by Pintadera, Fran