Taking a novel approach to discussing soccer stars, Jokulsson looks at the childhoods and early careers of 14 significant players, 8 men and 6 women. Why is Edson Arantes do Nascimento known worldwide as Pelé? How did a baby with a club foot grow up to be superstar Mia Hamm? And what’s the connection between PlayStation FIFA games and Kylian Mbappé’s signature celebration pose after a goal? Jokulsson answers these questions in biographical accounts of young people headed for greatness. In each four-page section, standard details (dates, teams) are efficiently delivered in adjacent fact boxes, leaving plenty of space for telling the individual’s story. The very readable text and the many large action photos of the players are equally engaging. This attractive large-format volume is similar in format to others in the World Soccer Legends series. Simultaneously released, its Women’s World Cup 2019 looks toward the quadrennial event taking place this summer (June 7 to July 7) in France by reviewing the tournament’s history, surveying 11 rival teams, and profiling 16 of the players on Team USA.

- Carolyn Phelan, Booklist