Synopsis
"Grab a ball!" Coach calls. "It's time to play soccer!"
Mikey is the super-competitive young captain of the Hot Diggedy Diner soccer team. He works hard, even if his teammates are easily distracted by anthill investigations and turning themselves into whirlybirds. Determined, Mikey repeatedly charges down the field, dribbling the ball to the goal posts, rat-a-tat-tack-ing the ball.
After a tough practice, Mikey's dad and dog Socks take him to lunch in the park, but Mikey only wants to practice for the Big Game. Daddy offers to help, but to Mikey's dismay Daddy doesn't put in much of an athletic effort. He keeps bending the rules and telling his impatient son to "just have fun." After an irresistible ticklefest, however, Mikey finally comes around to Daddy's way of thinking—and joins him and Socks in the worst, best soccer game ever!
Author Sherry Shahan contrasts the excitement and fast-paced action of soccer with the simple, easy-going fun of "just fooling around" to show young readers that there is more than one way for kids to play—and enjoy—the game. Illustrator Tatjana Mai-Wyss's exuberant and whimsical watercolor illustrations reflect the characters' winning personalities and the upbeat spirit of the story.