Member Reviews

I read this book to my kids when I first received it. It is quick and cute. Great sports related book to help calm the kids.

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I liked the rhymes and illustrations in “Goodnight Soccer.” I liked that it had girls in it, too. Fun book!

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A great book for getting girls excited about playing soccer.

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This was a fun illustrated read for children who love soccer or just want to learn more about soccer. Perfect for early readers too. My youngest son loved to read this book over and over again. Highly recommended.

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This is a nice wee book for the little ones, especially those who are fans of soccer (football). Told in rhyme, it's a simple but charming story, that builds through an evening soccer game to the ride home and then going to bed. It'd be a good bedtime read for little ones, exciting them with the game action before settling them down to bed to sleep (and dream). Vivid illustrations.

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Goodnight Soccer is the perfect addition to any bedtime routine for soccer loving-kids.

With rhythm, rhyme, and great illustrations, a family goes to a sold out soccer game, cheers with the action, their team wins, and then it's time to say goodnight. Goodnight to the captains, the coaches, the players, the net, the field, everything.

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Soccer fans, rejoice! This is a great bedtime story for little futbol fans everywhere. The author uses beautiful illustrations and soccer terms to say "good night" to the different components of the game in "Goodnight, Moon"-style. The author uses diverse characters of both genders, making it ideal for soccer fans across the world. It's a simple picture book best suited for preschool - early grade children familiar with basic soccer terminology (or children who catch on to their parents' fandom!).

Thank you to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for giving me this book in exchange for my honest review.

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Super cute book for all girls who love soccer. It's a sweet story for bedtime to help unwind and say good night.

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I also own Goodnight Hockey and this is a similar book with a rhyming text and cute illustrations.

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A must-have for any young soccer fans. The text and illustrations are appropriate for the age range.

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Simple rhyming text and sweet illustrations make this a great book. However, what pushes it over the top to an amazing book is the inclusion of a women's team without comment. The game is portrayed as action packed and compelling just as a men's team would be and has all the nitty-gritty thrills that a real women's team game does. An A+ result.

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I was really excited to read a copy of "Goodnight Soccer" as my children LOVE to play soccer and I thought they might really love this book. Unfortunately as I read through the first half of the book I found myself wondering how the "Goodnight" part of the title fits into the story. Most "Goodnight" books follow a very predictable and rhyming verse which is fun and visually attractive. I would say that the second half of "Goodnight Soccer" fits that criteria really well. From my opinion the first half of the story does not fit with the second half and if the first part of the story was changed to match the style of the second half it would be perfect.

My other critique would be that there are too many commas. But that is a personal reading preference. Some "Goodnight" books have commas after Goodnight and others do not.

I want to thank NetGalley and the Publisher for the opportunity to read an ARC copy of "Goodnight Soccer" by Michael Dahl.

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*thank you to Capstone Publishers and Netgalley for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review*

4 stars (would have been 5 if I was more of a soccer fan)
Wow, this was surprisingly really good! Im not much of a soccer fan, but this really grabbed my full attention, I was completely absorbed in it. The author wrote an amazing book. One that will appeal to fans of the sport and even ones that arent. The illustrations are just stunning. I really like the colours and the softness of them. But what I love most about this story is how if flows so well from the excitement of the game, to relaxation and finally sleep. Its a major comfort book and I could feel the love from the family. This is a beautiful bedtime story for anybody at any age.

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A great bedtime story for soccer fans. The books starts with a professional soccer game then flows into a goodnight rhyme, similar to the classic Goodnight Moon.

The main character is a young girl, and the professional teams playing are female teams (which I didn't include above because I didn't want others to think I mean it to take away from the levels of the teams). We see a variety of diverse characters. I think it's great to allow girls and children of color see themselves in a sports book.

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Great wee read. My children loved me reading this story to them. it was a huge thumbs up from the 3 of us.

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(thereviewmeistersite.wordpress.com/2017/09/05/goodnight-soccer-review)

Goodnight Soccer is an adorable children’s book set to come out in 2018. I requested to read it because I’m a huge football fan, and the cover featured a little girl who wasn’t white, cuddling a football.

I was so impressed with what I read. It’s obviously aimed at children, but the pages are drawn beautifully by Christina E. Forshay, with bright colours and warm tones, so nothing clashes. There are some scenes set at night time, and it makes you feel warm and sleepy, because the night sky looks so lovely. There is also a cute dog featured at the end!

The thing that most impressed me, and made me smile, is that the football team in question is an all girls team. I was expecting an ordinary football team that is often showed to us to mean ‘Football’, a team full of various men. But instead we get two all girl teams, who are good at what they’re doing. It’s these little details, especially with a female main character, that make all the difference. Of course she’s excited about football, she’s going to play on one of these teams someday!

Another thing that I liked about the book was that it showed good sportsmanship. Yes, the players are ruthless on court, but the book shows everyone shaking hands after the match, even the coaches. I thought that was a lovely touch, showing that at the end of the day, you should always be proud of everyone who competed.

I don’t think I have any criticisms, apart from the fact that I wished the main character had a name? It wouldn’t even have to be mentioned in the story, just in the blurb it could say ‘From the opening kickoff to the final goal, NAME says goodnight to her most beloved sport: soccer’. I think that would really make a difference, because it makes us feel closer to her as a character.

Overall, a really sweet adorable book that I think both young girls and boys will love. It’s always exciting to have a new book that pushes gender norms, and I think this book is a step in the right direction. I will definitely purchase a copy for my little nieces and nephews to enjoy.

Thank you NetGallery for this ARC.

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This book follows a little girl and her family to a soccer game. The emphasis is placed on the love of the sport and the winning is secondary. This is a simple book and would be great for children who love soccer or to introduce children to soccer. This book is informative, yet simple enough for small children to understand. The different positions are introduced in simple terms as well as the other aspects of the game such as the net and the fans. An important thing this book shows to children is good sportsmanship. We are shown coaches and captains shaking hands after the game with no emphasis on who won or who lost. Goodnight Soccer is great for budding soccer enthusiasts and will show positive family relationships while teaching about soccer and sportsmanship.

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Par for the course, as far as the Goodnight ______________ series is concerned. I'm glad to see one starring a little girl, and will probably order a copy for the little girls at my library.

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This book is perfect for the budding sports enthusiast you may have living right in your own home. Written in rhyme it is brimming with action words pertaining to the game of soccer. Such delightful words as: kick, dribble, striker, penalty kick, defence, and goal (just to name a few) gets you into game-mode and maybe even teach you a thing or two regarding the game.

The excitement of the crowd singing and chanting, the packed-out stadium, the loud roar of the fans delights the little girl in the story as she and her brother get caught up in the magic of a real-time game. The last second goal attained by the little girl's favourite team electrifies the crowd and has them cheering mightily to express their happiness and yes, relief. Whew!! Winning is the best!!!!!

A lovely touch is when the captain of the winning team offers the little girl the soccer ball to take home for her very own to keep. What an honour to walk out of stadium hugging that ball tightly... a trophy that is priceless indeed.

The last part is dedicated to saying farewell and goodnight to all things soccer: the captains shake hands showing good sportsmanship and depart, the goalkeepers, infielders and strikers wrap it up, and a multitude of fans in their jerseys all head out to the parking lot. As the lights dim people swarm out with sleepy kids in tow. They head out to find their vehicles and zoom off into the night. Everyone in the little girl's family is ready to crawl into bed, curl up and happily drift off to sleep after experiencing such a wonderful exhilarating game of soccer.

The artwork is bright, expressive and action-packed. It expresses a diversity of people with plenty of movement and competition. It is a perfect bedtime story for soccer fans everywhere. The book would make a great addition to a family book collection, a classroom, or a school library. I highly recommend this book and this series.

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Sports Illustrated scores another one with this Soccer themed Bedtime book. I loved this rhyming story. With terms like striker, penalty kick etc. being used and defined by the wonderful illustrations, it will even teach non-soccer fans a little about the game. In this story a family attends the soccer game of the local team. The stadium is jammed and loud. Of course they win the game and the family goes home happy, especially the little girl who is given a ball by the team captain. The show of sportsmanship at the end with the shaking of hands was a very nice touch. The little girl is put to bed after saying goodnight to all things soccer. The rhyming cadence of the story is great and I can see this book being demanded to be read over and over by children, especially those soccer fans of which there are many. A great addition to a family library.

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