Alba's reading poster

My niece is setting a good example with her baby, Alba. Alba is three months old and already sitting down to a good read. Bravo, Silvia. As an adult, Alba will be able to look back to the moment captured in this photo as the launch pad of so many different possible careers: critic, writer, publisher, illustrator, professor, ... model.

As an educator of children in primary school, it is so obvious to me which children have been read to and taught to express themselves in language, and which haven't. The latter is too often the case with hispanic immigrant children whose parents don't read or talk with their children in a way that is developmentally beneficial, whether because of economic pressure, limited education and/or literacy, or the fear that teaching their babies all they can in their language will somehow handicap them in this new land where English reigns supreme. The opposite is the truth. The more highly developed language is in a child, the easier it will be to graft a new language onto that structure.

Review: The Wild Soccer Bunch

I got this book as an Early Reviewer for Library Thing. This is the review I wrote for Library Thing.

Diego the Tornado is the second in The Wild Soccer Bunch series being penned by Joachim Masannek. It follows a group of nine- and ten-year old boys, and one younger brother who played the hero in the previous book, Kevin the Star Striker. In the rough way of boys, they have bonded their personalities through the fun of play and the dream of soccer stardom into a single unit. They are coached by Larry, whose soccer talent, bad leg and income sources are never explained, at least in this story.

Things get shaken up when Fabio, the son of a great Brazilian soccer player moves enrolls in their school and quickly finds his place in their group. Unfortunately, his father insists he play for a better team, and pride and injured feelings abruptly put a wide gulf between The Wild Soccer Bunch and their almost best friend Fabio. The boys, from widely disparate backgrounds, must decide what kind of team they want to be and what it means to be the best soccer team in the world.

The Wild Soccer Bunch is translated from German, but the setting has been relocated to Chicago and several members of the U.S. National Team make cameo appearances so our young readers will not experience any culture shock. Diego the Tornado is about as totally a boy’s book as you can find. Besides the almost total absence of female characters, the soccer in it is played out left foot, right foot, tap, header, spin, volley and so on. My elementary boys should love it. It’s how they try to present their own exploits after every recess.