Building a Dream: How the Boys of Koh Panyee Became Champions

by Darshana Khiani, Dow Phumiruk (Illustrator)

Overview

A Thai soccer team creates their own place to play — a floating field — in this unforgettable tale of persistence and problem-solving. Based on a true story. 

In Thailand’s Phang Nga Bay, atop a network of stilts, floats the village of Koh Panyee—where a group of boys loved soccer but had nowhere to practice. Where could they find space to dribble, juggle, shoot, and score? The boys looked out at the water and started gathering tools. 

Even while their neighbors laughed, they sawed wood, hammered nails, and tied barrels together. The team worked for weeks to build Koh Panyee’s first floating field—a place to practice, and a place to transform their community. 

With engaging soccer scenes and atmospheric images of southern Thailand, this inspiring book from author Darshana Khiani and illustrator Dow Phumiruk follows a group of boys who became a team long before they had jerseys or even a field. Plank by plank, they built their dream. Author’s and illustrator’s notes offer additional background.

Part of Eerdmans’ Spectacular STEAM for Curious Readers series.

Awards

The Missouri Association of School Librarians (MASL) Show Me Award Final Nominee (2025-2026)

Diamond State Reading Association (DSRA) Delaware Diamonds Award Grades K-2 (2024-2025)

Children’s Book Committee of Bank Street College of Education Best Children’s Books of the Year List - Family/School/Community & Outstanding Merit 
Children’s Book Council (CBC) Children's Favorites List 3rd-5th Grade 
Children’s Book Council (CBC) Teacher Favorites List 
National Science Teachers Association (NSTA) and the Children’s Book Council (CBC) Best STEM Books Award List 
Colorado Humanities Colorado Book Award in Children's Literature Finalist 
Missouri Association of School Librarians Dogwood Readers Award in Kindergarten - 2nd Grade Finalist 

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780802855473
Publisher:	Eerdmans, William B. Publishing Company
Publication date:	09/12/2023
Series:	Spectacular STEAM for Curious Readers (SSCR)
Pages:	40
Product dimensions:	9.00(w) x 11.00(h) x (d)
Age Range:	5 - 9 Years

About the Author

Darshana Khiani is a computer engineer, children's book author, and South Asian kidlit advocate based in the San Francisco Bay Area of California. Her books include How to Wear a Sari (Versify) and I'm an American (Viking). Visit Darshana's website at darshanakhiani.com and follow her on Twitter @darshanakhiani.



Dow Phumiruk is the award-winning illustrator of over a dozen books for young readers, including One Girl (Abrams), Titan and the Wild Boars: The True Cave Rescue of the Thai Soccer Team (HarperCollins), and Counting on Katherine: How Katherine Johnson Saved Apollo 13 (Henry Holt). She lives in Colorado, where she also works as a general pediatrician. Follow Dow on Instagram @dowphumiruk.

Editorial Reviews

Told in quick-moving prose that evokes movement and sound, this story is coupled with crisp illustrations that match the spirit and the straightforward action of the text…the heart of the story is sure to capture the imagination of the reader.” 
— Booklist  

“This nonfiction pick reads like a sports underdog story and will empower young readers to overcome challenges and take a leap of faith in their dreams with teamwork and perseverance.” 
— Bulletin of the Center for Children’s Books 

“A stirring story of perseverance.” 
— Kirkus Reviews

From the Publisher

2023-06-21
Kids make their dreams come true.

A group of boys who live in Koh Panyee, a small Thai village raised above the water on stilts, are obsessed with football (what Americans would refer to as soccer). They “dribble…on the way to school” and even shoot “goals during evening chores.” On Saturday afternoons, they go to Uncle Hemmin’s cafe to watch football, cheering for every goal. Inspired, the friends want to practice so they can eventually challenge the boys who live on the mainland, but they don’t have anywhere to play. The evenly paced narrative reveals that every alleyway, pier, and walkway is already filled with busy adults with little patience for their ball playing. Even Uncle Hemmin tells them to “Stick to boat racing. It’s tradition.” A secret beach during low tide becomes their makeshift field until it is used for new homes. Frustrated, the boys decide to build their own floating pitch, hauling wood scraps and collecting nails and ignoring the laughter from villagers. Phumiruk creates dreamy scenes with soft hues of color to depict the boys slipping and falling into the water as they gradually improve their balance with their new and constantly “swaying pitch.” Their hard work pays off, as the team performs well at a mainland football tournament, in the process winning over the hearts of their village—and readers. An author’s note describes the real events that inspired this tale. (This book was reviewed digitally.)

A stirring story of perseverance. (illustrator’s note) (Picture book. 5-9)

Kirkus Reviews