I Kick the Ball; Pateo el balón

“I kick the ball. BAM! BOOM! POW!” Young Toñito dreams constantly about playing soccer. He imagines himself hitting the ball with his knee, his foot, his head.

In his mind’s eye, Toñito can run as fast as a race car. He can leap into the air like a fish jumping out of the ocean. He sees his name on the back of his red jersey. He hears the roar of the crowd as he scores a goal. They chant his name: “Toñito! Toñito! Toñito!

But then his mother yells louder than the crowd in his head, and she reminds him about homework, dinner and family time. When he goes to bed, he knows that tomorrow he’ll have to go to school and do his homework. But he also knows he’ll play soccer again. “I’ll dream what I do. I’ll do what I dream. I’ll kick the ball tomorrow. Bam! Boom! Pow!”

Crowd-pleasing author Gwendolyn Zepeda writes a dynamic story about a young soccer player that is sure to spark readers’ enthusiasm for both reading and dreaming big. The lively text is complemented by Pablo Torrecilla’s vibrant and spirited illustrations of Toñito buzzing around a field, hitting soccer balls with every part of his body. Children ages 4-8 will be inspired to go outside and play the world’s most popular sport. (Bilingual Engish-Spanish)