Pele, King of Soccer/Pele, el Rey Del Futbol by 
Monica Brown, the author of Pelé, King of Soccer/Pelé, El rey del fútbol was inspired to write children's books after she had daughters of her own. While writing, Monica Brown draws from her Peruvian and Jewish heritage. When she was a child, she routinely visited her mother's family in Peru. Monica Brown often writes books about bicultural children and girl empowerment. She has won numerous awards for her writing including the Pura Belpré award, Orbis Pictus Award, and the Américas Book Award. She has written many other books, including books similar to this such as:
Tito Puente, Mambo King/Tito Puente, Rey del Mambo
My Name Is Celia: The Life Of Celia Cruz/Me Llamo Celia: La Vida de Celia Cruz
My Name is Gabito/Me llamo Gabito: The Life of Gabriel García Márquez
Side by Side/Lado a lado: The Story of Dolores Huerta and Cesar Chavez/La historia de Dolores Huerta y Cesar Chavez
Sharuko: El Arqueólogo Peruano Julio C. Tello/Peruvian Archaeologist Julio C. Tello
Rudy Gutierrez, the illustrator of Pelé, King of Soccer/Pelé, El rey del fútbol is a Puerto Rican artist who has created art for many purposes including children's books, CDs, and posters. He uses elements from indigenous art as well as urban culture. His art has been exhibited widely, including at the Mesa Contemporary Arts Museum and the Norman Rockwell Museum. For his work on children's books he has won many awards including the Caldecott Honor Award, Pura Belpré Honor and the Américas Book Award.
Though he is known throughout the world as Pelé, he was named Edson Arantes do Nascimento (pronunciation). Though he came to embrace the nickname, he did not always love it. Learn more about his name and nickname on The Guardian.
This book is presented bilingually in both Spanish and English. In Brazil, the official language is Portuguese due to Brazilian colonization by Portugal. Though Brazilian Portuguese is similar to the Portuguese spoken in Portugal, there are some differences in pronunciation and vocabulary. To get an idea of Brazilian Portuguese, consider the numbers 1-10. In English, it looks like: one, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight, nine, ten. In Spanish it looks like: uno, dos, tres, cautro, cinco, seis, siete, ocho, nueve, diez. And in Brazilian Portuguese it looks like: um, dois, três, quatro, cinc, seis, sete, oito, nove, dez.
Brazil is the largest country in South America and resides on the east side of the continent. It has a varied terrain with jungles such as the Amazon, dry grasslands, plains, and pine forests. Most Brazilians are descended from Amerindians, European settlers (mostly from Portugal), and Africans. Brazil is well known for their love of soccer, and they have won the World Cup five times. Learn more about these facts and others from National Geographic.Kids
Futbol or Soccer (as it is known in the United States) is the most popular sport in the world, and it is especially loved by many South American countries including Brazil. Two teams of eleven players move a soccer ball around a field, mostly by kicking it. In order to score points, a player must get the ball into the opposing teams goal. The goalie blocks the goal, and is the only player who can touch the ball with their hands or arms. The rest of the team can use any part of their body besides their hands or arms. Learn more about soccer at Britannica Kids.
Soccer was brought to Brazil in 1894, after a Scotsman born in Sao Paulo was sent to England for schooling. He came back to Brazil and established a soccer club there, teaching others the rules of the game. It was an instant hit. Though it was brought from England, Brazil quickly mastered the game, producing some of the most well renowned soccer players including Pelé. Now many countries look to Brazil to learn new techniques and strategies. Learn more about the history of soccer in Brazil on World Atlas.
| English | Spanish |
|---|---|
| To play soccer | Jugar fútbol |
| Goal | Gol |
| Team | Equipo |
| Promise | Promesa |
| Famous | Famoso |
| Championship | Campeonato |
| The town where Pelé grew up | Três Corações (Portuguese) |
Flags often have very specific meanings. According to World Atlas, the Brazilian flag has green to symbolize the flora of Brazil, yellow to symbolize the wealth of the nation's soil, and the blue circle and stars which "depict the sky over Rio de Janeiro on the morning of 15 November 1889 - the day the Republic of Brazil was declared." Soccer jerseys from various places are often inspired by their national flag. For example, here is a photograph of the flag of Brazil and one of their soccer jerseys.
Here are some flags from other South American countries.
When he was almost ten years old, Pelé came home and found his father crying. “Why are you sad, Papa?” he asked. “I am sad because Brazil has lost the World Cup. Everyone in Brazil is sad tonight.” “Don’t worry. I will win a World Cup for you one day,” Pelé promised.
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