An NCTE Notable Poetry Book

The perfect gift for young soccer fans, this picture book features twenty-two imaginative poems that capture all aspects of the world's most popular sport.

From the coach who inspires players to fly like the wind, to the shin guard that begs to be donned, to soccer dreams that fill the night, Soccerverse celebrates soccer. Featuring a diverse cast of girls and boys, the poems in this collection cover winning, losing, teamwork, friendships, skills, good sportsmanship, and, most of all, love for the game. Elizabeth Steinglass cleverly incorporates thirteen different poetic forms throughout the book, defining each in a note at the end, and Edson Ikê's bold artwork is as creative as the poems are surprising.

Elizabeth Steinglass has contributed poetry to both Dear Tomato: An International Crop of Food and Agriculture Poems and The Poetry Friday Anthology for Celebrations, as well as to various magazines, including Highlights for Children. Soccerverse is her first picture book. She grew up in St. Louis, Missouri where she played soccer, basketball, and softball, read many, many books, and wrote her first poems. She now lives in Washington, DC with her husband, her three children, and her sleepy cat Scout. She loves to read, write, hike, watch soccer, and spend time with her family.

Edson Ikê is an illustrator and graphic designer, who creates illustrations for books, newspapers, magazines, and posters. Woodcutting is the aesthetic basis of his work. The Smith & Lens art gallery in Mississippi, U.S., exhibited his prints in 2016. Soccerverse is his first book to be published in the United States. He lives in São Paulo, Brazil. Visit him at ensaiografico.com.br.