World Soccer Kings

by Charles R. Smith Jr.

Overview

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.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781536251012
Publisher:	Candlewick Press
Publication date:	03/24/2026
Series:	Sports Royalty
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	48
Age Range:	7 - 10 Years

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.

“Many hours were spent with characters in books traveling the world, solving mysteries, or living in a different time in history,” says photographer and children’s book author Charles R. Smith Jr. of his California childhood. “Reading books filled with stories and poems inspired me to write my own. The more I read, the more I wrote. And if I wasn’t reading a book, I was playing a sport: I played everything, particularly basketball, and spent many afternoons on the court, perfecting my jump shot.”

In high school, Charles R. Smith Jr. found a new love: photography. “Right up until that point I wanted to be an astronaut and walk on the moon, but after taking yearbook pictures nonstop for a year, I knew I wanted to learn how to be a professional photographer.” However, even after graduating from photography school and moving to New York to pursue his dream, Charles R. Smith Jr. did not forget about his childhood pastimes. “I continued with my writing, and, with a heavy influence of rap music, began writing more poetry instead of stories.”

Today, Charles R. Smith Jr. combines his experiences in these three areas—writing, photography, and sports —in his work with children’s books. This fusion is evident in his first book with Candlewick Press, Hoop Queens, a collection of dynamic poems and photographs celebrating twelve female pro-basketball players. Charles R. Smith Jr.’s companion book, Hoop Kings, cheers male professional basketball stars. He is also the author-photographer of Rimshots: Basketball Pix, Rolls, and Rhythms, which was selected as an American Library Association Notable Children’s Book.

And for those interested in biography, Twelve Rounds to Glory: The Story of Muhammad Ali, illustrated by Bryan Collier and named a Coretta Scott King Author Award Honor Book, follows the three-time heavyweight champ. Of the distinctive niche Charles R. Smith Jr. fills with his books, he notes, “I have combined my photographic skills with my love of reading, writing, and sports to create an exciting career for myself!” For which fans of poetry, photography, and sports are grateful!

Charles R. Smith Jr. lives in New York with his wife and two children.