Family Huddle

Pile into the car with Eli, Peyton and their older brother, Cooper in Family Huddle for a trip to visit their grandparents. Their dad, former NFL star Archie Manning, is at the wheel with Olivia at his side. Eli, Peyton and Cooper joke around and play football at every opportunity. The boys run fun plays like the buttonhook, quarterback sneak, and hook and ladder. Family and football will always be a big deal in the Manning family. Family Huddle is based on some of the Mannings’ memories from their days in Louisiana and Mississippi.

Huddle up with the most famous family in football—the Mannings! Peyton and Eli Manning are now NFL superstars, but they are still kids in Family Huddle. Follow along as Eli and Peyton pile into the car with older brother Cooper for a trip to visit their grandparents. Their dad, former NFL star Archie Manning, is at the wheel, with mom Olivia at his side. The boys joke around and play football at every opportunity, running fun plays like the buttonhook, the quarterback sneak, and the hook and ladder.

Family and football have always been a big deal in the Manning family. Family Huddle is based on some of the Mannings’ memories from their days in Louisiana and Mississippi.

Publishers Weekly

This writing team of two Super Bowl–winning quarterbacks and their former star quarterback father should score with young fans, despite some heavy-handed clichés and syrupy dialogue. As the young Manning family prepares to visit two sets of grandparents, mother Olivia announces to her three football-playing sons (oldest brother Cooper is practicing with his brothers), “This weekend is going to be filled with family and football.” Madsen’s (The Adventures of Thor the Thunder God) digitally created art is most successful in delivering dynamic images of the clan, ably conveying the siblings’ abundant energy, and painterly outdoor scenes of autumn foliage; vehicles and buildings are awkwardly stiff and geometric by comparison. The story itself is fairly empty—it’s mainly a vehicle to introduce plays like the quarterback sneak and buttonhook (which are diagrammed on the endpapers) and platitudes like “As long as you look out for each other, you will always be on a winning team.” But readers should pick up some new moves and game ideas for both on and off the field. Ages 4–8. (Sept.)

Peyton Manning is the Super Bowl–winning quarterback for the Indianapolis Colts. He has earned three NFL Most Valuable Player Awards and is a nine-time Pro Bowl choice. In 1999, Peyton established The PeyBack Foundation to promote the future success of disadvantaged youth by assisting established programs that provide leadership and growth opportunities for children at risk. Peyton Manning and his wife, Ashley, live in Indianapolis, Indiana.

Eli Manning has been the star quarterback for the New York Giants since 2004. He was named MVP of Super Bowl XLII in 2008 when he led the Giants to victory. Eli was later named the Sporting News 2008 Pro Athlete of the Year. Eli is a major supporter of St. Vincent’s Catholic Medical Center, making regular hospital visits and raising money for the Eli Manning Pediatrics Fund. Eli Manning and his wife, Abby, live in Hoboken, New Jersey.

Archie Manning attended the University of Mississippi, where he was named an All-American quarterback and is the only Ole Miss player to have his number retired. In 1971, Archie was the second player chosen in the NFL draft, and during his 15-year career he set passing records with the New Orleans Saints and played in two Pro Bowls. Archie Manning and his wife, Olivia, reside in New Orleans.

Jim Madsen has illustrated many books for children. He lives in Provo, Utah, with his wife and three children.