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Pelé: The King of Soccer
Edson Arantes do Nascimento, known to his schoolmates as Pele, grew up in poverty in the Sao Paulo region of Brazil. He was too poor to afford a real soccer ball, so he played with a ball of newspaper tied together with string. Yet he dominated the youth leagues and signed his first professional soccer contract at the age of fifteen. Within two years he was celebrated internationally, when he led Brazil to victory at the world cup. Known by his fans as -O Rei- (The King), Pele is widely regarded as the greatest soccer player of all time. But he's more than just an athlete: he also traveled the world as goodwill ambassador for UNICEF. Pele is the living symbol of a sport he dubbed -the beautiful game---a game that brings people together regardless of race or nationality.
144 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2016
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October 24, 2017Known by his fans as "O Rei" (The King), Pelé is widely regarded as the greatest soccer player of all time. But he's more than just an athlete: he also traveled the world as goodwill ambassador for UNICEF. Pelé is the living symbol of a sport he dubbed "the beautiful game"—a game that brings people together regardless of race or nationality.I n the graphic novel Pele: The King of Soccer, Eddy Simon and Vincent Brascaglia beautifully depict Pele's rise from the slums of Brazil to the national stage.
February 1, 2018
This book should not be considered a children's book. I understand it is graphic novel, but should be considered teen. Quotes such as "Hey, Girls, you know I've got skills with every part of my body" and "'I'm pregnant' 'No way! Are you certain it was me?'" could have been left out of this book since it's classified as Children's. It was not fun trying to explain to my 8 year old soccer loving daughter what those things meant.
March 26, 2017
Pelé: The King of Soccer by Eddy Simon and Vincent Brascaglia is the name I have heard for years because soccer is by far the most popular sport at my school, but I hadn't know much about him until this graphic novel, and I loved learning about the man that many of my students call a hero.
November 16, 2023
A great graphic novel for all the soccer lovers!
February 22, 2018
I'm not a huge sports fan, but a lot of my students are, so I was excited to read this graphic novel. While I might still buy it for my library, I was disappointed. I found the font too small, the pictures a little flat (maybe it was the color scheme?), and the story a bit disjointed. I also felt like his less stellar moments (such as womanizing and denying paternity) were mentioned but glazed over. I almost wish if they were going to bring it into the story that they had unpacked these problematic aspects of his life a little more.
October 27, 2017
I have no interest in soccer whatsoever but I do know who Pele is. I usually enjoy biographies about a wide assortment of people no matter their claim to fame as long as the book is about the person, his life, personality, etc. This book didn't succeed in capturing my attention. It started off well enough with young Pele growing up in poverty and showing himself to be an exceptional soccer player. However, once he joined the sport even semi-professionally the book simply became a game by game replay of his life according to soccer. There were sentences and footnotes: oh he got married, oh he cheated on his wife, oh he had a kidney removed. I was totally bored with all the soccer parts which make up 90% of the story. Most recommended for soccer or Pele fans rather than the general biography reader.
October 25, 2017
A graphic novel about the greatest soccer player of all-time? Yes please! 💯
This fantastic biography will sure to be popular with an ever-growing number of soccer playing students in my classroom.
This fantastic biography will sure to be popular with an ever-growing number of soccer playing students in my classroom.
October 23, 2017
A graphic novel biography of Brazilian soccer player, Edson Arantes do Nascimento, better known by his nickname, Pelé. The graphic novel covers his life as a poor village boy in Brazil who got a love of soccer (and solid training) from his father whose own pro career was cut short by an injury. It then follows his rise to a pro player and national team member for Brazil to his pro years in the US and his years afterward in government and relief aid work.
I went into this knowing nothing about Pelé except that he was a famous soccer player from Brazil. His meteoric rise from street soccer to national team is quite amazing. Like most people, he has his admirable qualities, like his passion for kids and aid work, and his not so admirable qualities, like his weakness for women and unfaithfulness to his wife. This book shows both sides, his moments of brilliance and his faults, applauding the first and bemoaning the latter, but keeps the content appropriate for middle grade readers. The book covers a lot of soccer history and Brazilian history in addition to telling Pelé's story, so I feel like I learned quite a bit from just 140 pages. Soccer is hands down the most popular sport among the students at our school, add to that the fact that this is a graphic novel with attractive illustrations and you’ve got yourselves a bestseller. I can definitely see kids who never usually touch books devouring this. Our school library definitely needs this book, the question is how many copies will I need to order to keep the masses happy.
Notes on content (based on the ARC): Maybe five mild swear words. It is mentioned that Pelé has a weakness for women and fathers some children out of wedlock, but sex is never mentioned and only a kiss is shown. There are clear repercussions for his life style, his wife eventually divorces him and the creators don’t paint this in a positive light. A couple illustrations show guys in the locker room in their underwear, and an incident is mentioned when fans stripped Pelé of his clothes; he is drawn naked BUT has his hands/arms strategically placed so it doesn’t show anything. Only violence is some on the field rough play shown and some events in news mentioned but not shown.
I received an ARC of this title from the publisher through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
I went into this knowing nothing about Pelé except that he was a famous soccer player from Brazil. His meteoric rise from street soccer to national team is quite amazing. Like most people, he has his admirable qualities, like his passion for kids and aid work, and his not so admirable qualities, like his weakness for women and unfaithfulness to his wife. This book shows both sides, his moments of brilliance and his faults, applauding the first and bemoaning the latter, but keeps the content appropriate for middle grade readers. The book covers a lot of soccer history and Brazilian history in addition to telling Pelé's story, so I feel like I learned quite a bit from just 140 pages. Soccer is hands down the most popular sport among the students at our school, add to that the fact that this is a graphic novel with attractive illustrations and you’ve got yourselves a bestseller. I can definitely see kids who never usually touch books devouring this. Our school library definitely needs this book, the question is how many copies will I need to order to keep the masses happy.
Notes on content (based on the ARC): Maybe five mild swear words. It is mentioned that Pelé has a weakness for women and fathers some children out of wedlock, but sex is never mentioned and only a kiss is shown. There are clear repercussions for his life style, his wife eventually divorces him and the creators don’t paint this in a positive light. A couple illustrations show guys in the locker room in their underwear, and an incident is mentioned when fans stripped Pelé of his clothes; he is drawn naked BUT has his hands/arms strategically placed so it doesn’t show anything. Only violence is some on the field rough play shown and some events in news mentioned but not shown.
I received an ARC of this title from the publisher through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
June 6, 2018
I should begin by stating that I only read this book because I flipped to a random page which discussed Pele's womanizing, resulting in the birth of a child out of wedlock, whom he refused to recognize. This made me question whether the book I had just purchased was appropriate for the elementary school environment it was intended for. Read in context, I was happy to find that this was not a glorification of his behaviour, the consequences this had on his family life probably could have been touched on a little more if the author felt it was necessary to include this information in a book intended for kids. Definitely going into the young adult section of my library.
I liked this book more than I thought I would, considering I have zero interest in sports. It was the backdrop of Brazilian politics that really drew me into the story. The author did a great job demonstrating how much of an impact this political climate had on Pele's life and career trajectory.
In some ways, I felt that the story tried to cram in too details, and at times this made for some disjointed reading. There would be one or two panels that would illustrate some random event, such as all of Pele's jerseys being stolen, and I would keep reading, waiting for it to tie in somewhere to the rest of the story, but it would never come up again. I noticed that this was first published in French, so I'm wondering if this is a translation issue.
Also, I was hoping for a more informative conclusion after learning of Pele's vilification by the Brazilian people because of his (reluctant) ties to politics around the time of the 2014 World Cup. Like, what is he doing now? Have attitudes changed? A brief biography or fact sheet at the end could have resolved this. I think it was a missed opportunity not including an informational section at the end of the book.
I liked this book more than I thought I would, considering I have zero interest in sports. It was the backdrop of Brazilian politics that really drew me into the story. The author did a great job demonstrating how much of an impact this political climate had on Pele's life and career trajectory.
In some ways, I felt that the story tried to cram in too details, and at times this made for some disjointed reading. There would be one or two panels that would illustrate some random event, such as all of Pele's jerseys being stolen, and I would keep reading, waiting for it to tie in somewhere to the rest of the story, but it would never come up again. I noticed that this was first published in French, so I'm wondering if this is a translation issue.
Also, I was hoping for a more informative conclusion after learning of Pele's vilification by the Brazilian people because of his (reluctant) ties to politics around the time of the 2014 World Cup. Like, what is he doing now? Have attitudes changed? A brief biography or fact sheet at the end could have resolved this. I think it was a missed opportunity not including an informational section at the end of the book.
January 30, 2020
"Success is not accident.Its hard work, perseverance, learning, studying, sacrifice and most of all love of what you are doing or learning to do."-Pelé
To start, this book is a comic that explains a the pain and hard work that the life of Pelé was about, it shows the beginnings of this poor little boy that lives in Tres Coraçoes, Brazil. Also, tells the formation in which he had been taught to play soccer by his father who also was a soccer player. Then, when he keeps growing up, the story starts to change for him as he gets to play with Santos FC with just being 16 years old.Next, he plays with the Brazils national team a lot of world cups where he gets the nickname of "O Rei or The King".Wile he starts t play in the nation al team, a lot of things happen like he falls in love, he is injured several times too.The setting could be on his hometown , Tres Coraçoes, Santos FC stadium, Maracana stadium and other stadium that were important settings throughout the book.The authors style is very empathetic by the way that he describes the protagonist life.i fet very compulsive with the protagonist because he took a very hard life to become what he liked to do , play soccer.
To start, this book is a comic that explains a the pain and hard work that the life of Pelé was about, it shows the beginnings of this poor little boy that lives in Tres Coraçoes, Brazil. Also, tells the formation in which he had been taught to play soccer by his father who also was a soccer player. Then, when he keeps growing up, the story starts to change for him as he gets to play with Santos FC with just being 16 years old.Next, he plays with the Brazils national team a lot of world cups where he gets the nickname of "O Rei or The King".Wile he starts t play in the nation al team, a lot of things happen like he falls in love, he is injured several times too.The setting could be on his hometown , Tres Coraçoes, Santos FC stadium, Maracana stadium and other stadium that were important settings throughout the book.The authors style is very empathetic by the way that he describes the protagonist life.i fet very compulsive with the protagonist because he took a very hard life to become what he liked to do , play soccer.
December 9, 2024
Pele King of Soccer by Eddy Simon is a story about the life of Pele, one of the greatest soccer players in history. The book is about Pele’s journey from a young boy playing soccer in Brazil to becoming a global sports legend. It highlights his hard work, talent, and love for soccer. The main themes of the book are determination and passion. It shows that with dedication and belief in yourself you can achieve your goals, no matter where you come from.
This book is a biography because it tells the true story of Pele’s life. Kids reading this book can learn about Pele’s achievements, the history of soccer, and how perseverance can help overcome challenges. This book was special to me because it shares the story of someone who changed the world of sports and became a role model for many. Two great writing techniques in this book are, vivid illustrations and a clear timeline. The colorful pictures bring Pele’s story to life, while the timeline helps readers follow his journey step by step. These techniques make the book exciting and easy to understand. This story is great for everyone, it shows how talent, and hard work can lead to greatness.
This book is a biography because it tells the true story of Pele’s life. Kids reading this book can learn about Pele’s achievements, the history of soccer, and how perseverance can help overcome challenges. This book was special to me because it shares the story of someone who changed the world of sports and became a role model for many. Two great writing techniques in this book are, vivid illustrations and a clear timeline. The colorful pictures bring Pele’s story to life, while the timeline helps readers follow his journey step by step. These techniques make the book exciting and easy to understand. This story is great for everyone, it shows how talent, and hard work can lead to greatness.
March 9, 2018
I definitely learned more about Pele's life and career through this graphic novel and appreciated the authentic vocabulary used (with footnote translations) throughout the text. However, the writing didn't flow for me; it seemed very choppy and disjointed. Plus, for a book geared towards 3-6 graders, I wish the story didn't continue to go back to Pele's infidelity and illegitimate child whom he refused to recognize. I get that's a part of who he is, but with a story geared at younger readers in a graphic novel format, I would think that part of his life could have been left to a biography aimed at older readers. Do we need to have drawings of him going to a hotel with a woman with text that reads, "And even though he's madly in love with Rose, it's sometimes difficult to resist the advances of the occasional Belle," when the book is aimed at third graders? The focus on his escape from poverty, devotion to his family and county, his soccer tribulations and triumphs, his work with youth soccer, Special Olympics, UNICEF, etc. was enough to fill an entire book.
December 15, 2017
3.5 stars. I received a copy as part of a Goodreads First Reads giveaway.
The exposition feels a little clunky in the early chapters, but picks up once Pele begins his career in earnest. The soccer elements are compelling, but there's a clear struggle between the tendency to lionize the athlete from a sociological standpoint and figuring out how to explain his rather messy personal life and extramarital affairs. (Generally Simon is evenhanded, though one Studio 54-inspired panel seemed a bit too lighthearted for my taste.) I wanted to know more about the rise and fall of Garrincha, and a few other plot points are invoked and then dropped (such as Pele's reunion with his first girlfriend Illena in Sweden). The book ends rather abruptly as well. Even so, a lot is covered in 139 pages, and this would be a good jumping-off point for those intrigued by the athlete or soccer in general.
January 12, 2018
This is the biographical account of Pele's life in graphic novel format.
He was born and known as Edson Arantes do Nascimento in Sao Paolo Brazil. His family was poor but he shared the love of playing soccer with his father (who had to retire early from the sport due to injury). Edson grew to fame quickly and persevered despite some difficult circumstances. Some people regard him as a hero, but the book does a good job of portraying a balanced look at his life where there are both favorable and unfavorable aspects of his life. For example, he had a weakness for women and cheated on his wife and had children outside of wedlock. On the other hand, he was an ambassador, has worked for the United Nations, and Special Olympics.
There are some images of players in locker rooms in their underwear, references to marital infidelity, but there is nothing violent or obscene. Gear towards grades 4 and up, however.
He was born and known as Edson Arantes do Nascimento in Sao Paolo Brazil. His family was poor but he shared the love of playing soccer with his father (who had to retire early from the sport due to injury). Edson grew to fame quickly and persevered despite some difficult circumstances. Some people regard him as a hero, but the book does a good job of portraying a balanced look at his life where there are both favorable and unfavorable aspects of his life. For example, he had a weakness for women and cheated on his wife and had children outside of wedlock. On the other hand, he was an ambassador, has worked for the United Nations, and Special Olympics.
There are some images of players in locker rooms in their underwear, references to marital infidelity, but there is nothing violent or obscene. Gear towards grades 4 and up, however.
June 28, 2017
Thank you Net Galley for the ARC in exchange for a fair review.
Even though I have very little knowledge about soccer, I was excited to read this Graphic Novel about Pele. His accomplishments as an athlete and a humanitarian, are so amazing that even someone as soccer-uneducated as me has heard of him!
I thoroughly enjoyed this Graphic novel and learned so much about Pele's life from childhood through adulthood, while picking up some soccer basics. The political climate in Brazil was a driving force in the world of soccer during Pele's career, and impacted his decisions along the way. When adressing the struggles the country was dealing with it was done in a straightforward manner that was very informative.
This is a great read for anyone, especially soccer fans, in middle grades and up.
Even though I have very little knowledge about soccer, I was excited to read this Graphic Novel about Pele. His accomplishments as an athlete and a humanitarian, are so amazing that even someone as soccer-uneducated as me has heard of him!
I thoroughly enjoyed this Graphic novel and learned so much about Pele's life from childhood through adulthood, while picking up some soccer basics. The political climate in Brazil was a driving force in the world of soccer during Pele's career, and impacted his decisions along the way. When adressing the struggles the country was dealing with it was done in a straightforward manner that was very informative.
This is a great read for anyone, especially soccer fans, in middle grades and up.
June 3, 2019
Život Pelého je v knize "Pelé: Král fotbalu" podán jako pohádka, kdy se z chudáka stal hrdina milovaný milióny. Naštěstí měl scenárista Eddy Simon dost rozumu na to, aby do příběhu podal i temnější prvky, ať už je to závist vůči Pelého úspěchu, finanční bankrot, nevěra, rasismus a podobné. Ten životopis pak přece jen vyznívá o dost realističtěji. Ani takový bůh nebo Král, jak byl nazýván, jakým Pelé byl a pro mnohé nadále je, prostě nemohl mít život bez škraloupu, to by prostě nešlo. A pokud už tohle není v komiksu podáno podrobně, alespoň je to zmíněno, což beru jako dobré. "Pelé: Král fotbalu" je tak zajímavou knihou pro milovníky fotbalu a pro ně především. Je docela fajn si připomenout dobu před padesáti lety, kdy mi bylo skoro líto, že jsem Pelého zápasy nemohl vidět naživo.
September 8, 2024
I think soccer fans will get a lot more out of this book than I did. Simon certainly assumes that readers will have more background knowledge than I did, and this book focuses almost exclusively on Pele's soccer career and only lightly brushes over his personal life. For example, we find out in a footnote that he lost a kidney due to a soccer injury, instead of actually showing the incident or his recovery on the page. I really wanted to know more about him as a person, not as an athlete only. This is a translation, and I suspect the original version was in a larger format, because the text is pretty small. I think this is going to have a narrow audience of existing soccer fans, which is a shame. A biography of such a remarkable athlete should be able to appeal to a wider audience.
April 27, 2025
For a book about a legend on the soccer field, there is not much soccer. For a book listed for children, there is a lot of adult content.
1. Pele was a legend who left poverty by learning and excelling at futbol, his father's favorite sport.
2. His recognition of how he was used by money hungry men and the players were cheated of what they should have earned was important, but I am not sure my students would catch it through graphic dialogue.
3. His decision to leave Brazil and come to America was a big one, but not a large part of this graphic.
4. His womanizing could have been left out of a kid's book.
5. I felt Pele, the legend, was not given the justice he deserves. Neither the graphic art, the love of sport, or the love of family holds true in this book for me.
1. Pele was a legend who left poverty by learning and excelling at futbol, his father's favorite sport.
2. His recognition of how he was used by money hungry men and the players were cheated of what they should have earned was important, but I am not sure my students would catch it through graphic dialogue.
3. His decision to leave Brazil and come to America was a big one, but not a large part of this graphic.
4. His womanizing could have been left out of a kid's book.
5. I felt Pele, the legend, was not given the justice he deserves. Neither the graphic art, the love of sport, or the love of family holds true in this book for me.
May 21, 2017
A quite detailed biography in graphic novel format which provides the reader not just with an overview of the soccer legend's life but also gives insights into Brazil's modern history, its socio-economic and political struggles and challenges, all the way through to 2014. It is of course a special treat for all soccer fans. Dormant readers will especially appreciate the sparse, yet informative text. I am not an expert on Pelé but this biography feels and reads like a very honest account, not leaving out the legend's weaknesses -for example with regards to women. Due to some more mature content, I find the book most suitable for older readers (middle grades up).
August 27, 2021
-This book takes place in Brazil and is one of the books representing South America on my list "Seven Continents of Books 2021"-
Speaking as someone who knows little about soccer, and picked this one up mostly out of curiosity, I was pleasantly surprised by how engaging the story is, and I appreciated the background information about Brazil as well.
I think this would be a nice book to recommend to young readers to see the dedication that's involved in being a sports star, as well as the stresses it put on Pele's life.
Speaking as someone who knows little about soccer, and picked this one up mostly out of curiosity, I was pleasantly surprised by how engaging the story is, and I appreciated the background information about Brazil as well.
I think this would be a nice book to recommend to young readers to see the dedication that's involved in being a sports star, as well as the stresses it put on Pele's life.
September 11, 2019
This is more academic than your traditional sports graphic novel, so readers will gain historical insight into Brazil in addition to soccer trivia. Since I prefer a more crisp style with play-by-play action when it comes to sports books (a la Pacat's Fence which I love), this didn't work as well for me, but there's still plenty of merit for readers who want to know a lot about the political context that was part of creating Pele the superstar.
November 21, 2017
Bringing the amazing story of this Brazilian superstar to a new generation, Pele gives a balanced look at the life of Edson Arantes do Nascimento from childhood to retirement. Pele lived a very interesting life and impressed millions on and off the field. Middle grade students and teens will love this GN version of Pele's life.
December 11, 2017
Excellent hagiography, if you're into that kind of thing. Simon covers all of Pele's most important games, a little bit about where he grew up, barely anything about his relationships and children. Key points seem to be: Pele is very good scoring goals and Pele is a true humanitarian. While those things are certainly true, it'd be nice to read about Pele as a full human being, flaws and all.
January 18, 2018
I don’t know a lot about soccer or have much interest in it but decided to give this graphic novel about the greatest soccer player of all time, Pele, a chance since many of my students are into soccer. I didn’t love it but I stuck with it and definitely learned some new things. If you’re into soccer you’ll probably enjoy it, if not, you may struggle with staying interested.
January 22, 2018
This comic biography starts strong, but gets choppy somewhere near the middle, with controversies and biographical details begging for more information abandoned quickly between repetitive accounts of important soccer matches. Still, a diverting account of one of the sport's superstars, with plenty of cues for further research.
November 27, 2021
I did censor pages 73-74 (about infidelity and an unrecognized child) with my soccer-loving six year old but I don't fault the author for mentioning these details. The book is an engaging roller-coaster ride through the history of one of the greatest players to ever live, and the history of the sport itself. My kid found it motivating and fun.
February 29, 2024
I don’t have much to say about this. I read it mostly to determine if I wanted to pick it as a book to use in my ESL II class in the future.
After having read it, I do think it works well for my class and a unit I need to teach. It’s not personally super up my alley or fit my interests, but it is high interest for my students.
Mostly just marking it read here because I did, in fact, read it 😂
After having read it, I do think it works well for my class and a unit I need to teach. It’s not personally super up my alley or fit my interests, but it is high interest for my students.
Mostly just marking it read here because I did, in fact, read it 😂
May 8, 2018
Pretty interesting graphic biography of one of the greatest soccer players of all time. It doesn't completely gloss over Pelé's infidelity or his questionable support of Brazil hosting the World Cup at the expense of Brazilian workers and families. I learned a lot about him as a person and player.
May 25, 2018
Detailed and well written biography of Pele -- does a great job of highlighting his humanitarian work without painting him as superhuman. Clearly points out some of his flaws as well as his extraordinary talent and hard work.
July 9, 2021
I didn't know a lot about Pele, so it was interesting to read this book. I had no idea about the womanizing, so that was a shock to me. He did a lot for his community and soccer as a sport, and they didn't always treat him very well.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 58 reviews