In honor of the start of The World Cup and all the fans in my family who will be watching: This review originally appeared as a NonFiction Monday post in March 2008. Schwartz& Wade reminded me of this title in their FaceBook update today.
Young Pelé: soccer's first star
by Lesa Cline-Ransome, paintings by James E. Ransome; Schwartz&Wade Books, 2007
James Ransome's illustrations shine in this picture book biography of Edson do Nascimento, who would be known to the world as Pelé. Using the greens, yellows and blues of the Brazilian flag Ransome paints luminous scenes of Edson's school, family and soccer life.
Edson struggled in school and his first soccer ball was "a sock stuffed with rags, rolled up and tied with string." His inability to focus in class resulted in reprimands and punishments but soccer was always foremost in his mind. His team, the Shoeless Ones, became a force in the city's soccer leagues. His nickname, Pelé, was bestowed at this young age.
The author describes the work ethic of the team; they sold peanuts and shined shoes to earn money for uniforms. The reader is reminded that talent also requires practice, drills, coaching and teamwork to suceed.
There is much here for the young soccer enthusiast to enjoy. Pelé traps, heads, dribbles and boots the ball across the pages. The creators of this biography, score, indeed.
Michelle Rafferty, Publicity Assistant
I dare you to watch the trailer for this December’s Invictus—the story of how a newly elected Nelson Mandela used the 1995 Rugby World Cup to bring his people together—without feeling slight heart palpitation. Particularly in a scene where we see Mandela speaking with a political confidante:
“This rugby, it’s a political calculation,” she says.
“It is a human calculation,” responds Mandela.
Sounds like one awfully loaded conversation about rugby, but if there’s anything history, cinema, and Nike commercials have taught us, it’s that the game ultimately represents something much bigger than itself. From taking a stand (1980 Moscow Games boycott) and breaking social barriers (Jackie Robinson, Dara Torres) to beating odds (Nancy Kerrigan, Lance Armstrong) and growing up (Mighty Ducks 1, 2, and 3), sports are often the metaphors and inspiration of our lives. Which leads us to our big announcement… as it moves to the forefront of the global sports arena once more, we are excited to announce South Africa as Oxford’s “Place of the Year.” The 2010 World Cup—arguably the most important international event the country will host since officially becoming a post-apartheid, democratic nation only 15 years ago—signifies further transformation, quantifiable in millions of dollars worth of new infrastructure.
How much new infrastructure?
According to FIFA, contributions from the South African government total (in rands “R”):
Stadium and precinct development: R9.8 billion
Transport: R13.6 billion
Broadcast and telecommunications: R300 million
Event operations: R684 million
Safety and security: R1.3 billion
Event volunteer training: R25 million
Ports of entry infrastructure: R3. 5 billion
Immigration support: R630 million
Communications, hosting, legacy and culture: R504 million
Which translates to…
According to consulting firm Grant Thornton, which drew up the financial impact report for South Africa’s World Cup bid committee:
R55.7 billion to the South African economy
415,400 jobs
R19.3 billion in tax income to the government
The World Cup has received mixed reviews however: Economy boost or money suck? Increase in jobs or class divider? Interna
A Special Assembly by Debjani Chatterjee and illustrated by David Lumley was commissioned by the Asian People’s Disability Alliance (UK) to provide information for kids with asthma and their families. You can read here about why the project of raising awareness of asthma in Asian families has become a priority of the APDA.
Debjani’s story is upbeat. Raj dreams of being a world-class cricketer - but it looks like that’s all he’ll be able to do, dream about it, because he has asthma… until a class pen-friend project brings a famous Indian cricketer all the way to a special assembly at Raj’s school. And guess what? He has asthma too!
The booklet would make a good resource for introducing a school pen-pal project, while raising awareness of asthma at the same time. It is available upon request, with a charge for postage and packing only: see here for further details.
Edson struggled in school and his first soccer ball was "a sock stuffed with rags, rolled up and tied with string." His inability to focus in class resulted in reprimands and punishments but soccer was always foremost in his mind. His team, the Shoeless Ones, became a force in the city's soccer leagues. His nickname, Pelé, was bestowed at this young age.
Thanks for this, René. World Cup Fever - yeah!