The Field

Kirkus Reviews Best Picture Book of 2018
School Library Journal Best Book of 2018
The Horn Book Best Picture Book of 2018
Shelf Awareness Best Children's Book of the Year
Bank Street Best Children's Book of the Year

A soccer story--for boy and girls alike!

"Vini! Come! The field calls!" cries a girl as she and her younger brother rouse their community--family, friends, and the local fruit vendor--for a pickup soccer (futbol) game. Boys and girls, young and old, players and spectators come running--bearing balls, shoes, goals, and a love of the sport.

"Friends versus friends" teams are formed, the field is cleared of cows, and the game begins! But will a tropical rainstorm threaten their plans?

The world's most popular and inclusive sport has found its spirited, poetic, and authentic voice in Baptiste Paul's debut picture book--highlighting the joys of the game along with its universal themes: teamwork, leadership, diversity, and acceptance. Creole words (as spoken in St. Lucia, the author's birthplace island in the Caribbean) add spice to the story and are a strong reminder of the sport's world fame. Bright and brilliant illustrations by debut children's book illustrator Jacqueline Alcántara--winner of the We Need Diverse Books Illustration Mentorship Award--capture the grit and glory of the game and the beauty of the island setting where this particular field was inspired.

Soccer fan or not, the call of The Field is irresistible.

Author: Baptiste Paul
Publisher: Northsouth Books
Published: 03/06/2018
Pages: 32
Binding Type: Hardcover
Weight: 0.80lbs
Size: 8.60h x 11.30w x 0.40d
ISBN: 9780735843127
Audience: Ages 4-8

Accelerated Reader:
Reading Level: 1
Point Value: 0.5
Interest Level: Lower Grade
Quiz #/Name: 193706 / Field


Review Citation(s):
Kirkus Reviews 12/15/2017 pg. 150
School Library Journal 01/01/2018
Publishers Weekly 01/22/2018
Booklist 02/01/2018 pg. 53
Shelf Awareness 11/26/2018
Horn Book Magazine 05/01/2018 pg. 117
Hornbook Guide to Children 07/01/2018 - Outstanding, Noteworthy In Style

About the Author
Baptiste Paul is a children's picture book author. His first book for NorthSouth, The Field, received 3 starred reviews and won the Sonia Lynn Sadler Award, was a Junior Library Guild selection, and also appeared on the Horn BookFanfare Best of 2018, the School Library Journal Best of 2018, and the CCBC 2018 Choices lists. Kirkus Reviews calls his new book, Peace (2021), "A visually splendid primer on peace." Baptiste loves sports, likes to roast his own coffee, and grills. He lives in Wisconsin with his family.

Jacqueline Alcántara is a freelance author and illustrator. She spends her days drawing, painting, writing and walking her dog. Jacqueline studied art education, attended a summer intensive at Parson's New School of Design, and went on to enroll in the Illustration Certificate program at the School of the Art Institute in Chicago. She has managed an art gallery in Chicago, worked at NBC's set decoration department, and at Soho House Chicago. She is particularly excited about promoting inclusiveness and diversity in children's literature and the illustration field in general. In 2016, she won the inaugural We Need Diverse Books Illustrator Mentorship Award. Find out more at: jacquelinealcantara.com