World Soccer Kings

An exuberant collection of poems about soccer stars around the world crackles with Charles R. Smith's indomitable wordplay, matched by graphic, dynamic photos of the players in action.

Mercurial magician Lionel Messi is on a goal-scoring mission. Erling Haaland earns the nickname Striking Viking (Hat trick! / Off the head / GOAL!). Whether the poems in this book are cheering for the Pennsylvania Pelé, Christian Pulisic; Cristiano Ronaldo, with his record-breaking right; or "Blue Blur" Kylian Mbappé, who torches the net with his afterburn blast, Charles R. Smith Jr.'s high-energy verse, paired with stylized, kinetic photographs, celebrates the talents of an international roster of soccer superstars. End notes bring in more background on the subjects and delve into the way the author uses poetic forms to highlight each player's unique gifts.

Author: Charles R. Smith Jr
Publisher: Candlewick Press (MA)
Published: 03/24/2026
Pages: 48
Binding Type: Hardcover
Weight: 1.00lbs
Size: 11.90h x 8.20w x 0.48d
ISBN: 9781536234879
Audience: Ages 9-12


Review Citation(s):
Booklist 01/01/2026
Kirkus Reviews 02/15/2026
School Library Journal 10/03/2025 pg. 1

About the Author
Charles R. Smith Jr. is the author of Hoop Queens and Hoop Queens 2 and the companion books Hoop Kings, Hoop Kings 2: New Royalty, Black Diamond Kings: Heroes of Negro League Baseball, and Soccer Queens. He is also the author of Major Taylor: World Cycling Champion, Chameleon, Pick-Up Game: A Full Day of Full Court with Marc Aronson, and the Coretta Scott King Author Honor Book Twelve Rounds to Glory: The Story of Muhammad Ali, illustrated by Bryan Collier. He is the recipient of an National Council of Teachers of English Award for Excellence in Poetry for Children as well as a Coretta Scott King Illustrator Award for his photographs in My People, an adaptation of the Langston Hughes poem. Charles R. Smith Jr. lives in New York.