What Is the World Cup?

What was...?

by Bonnie Bader

GOOOAAAAAL! Get ready for a front-row seat at the world's most-watched sporting event--the World Cup.

Every four years, thirty-two of the best men's soccer teams from across the globe compete for the title of FIFA World Cup winner. Over one billion people tuned in worldwide to watch the final game of the 2014 competition, making the World Cup the most widely viewed sporting event in the world, exceeding even the Summer Olympics! This book takes a look back at what has changed since the first tournament in 1930 and what lies ahead for the most popular sport in the world.

Genres: Nonfiction, Sports, History, Childrens

112 pages, Library Binding

Published March 6, 2018

About the author

Bonnie Bader lives in Brooklyn, New York.

Reviews

[Adam · Rating 4 out of 5]

Goal!

Parodied much but that's just actually me catching up to my Reading Challenge 2019 of 83 books, I was 14 or so behind just a few months ago.

It's half time and these Who HQ books are great to get the gist of a topic, especially when you don't really want to read a proper full adult book about it.

They're for teens and some are a bit talked or dumbed down a bit but this one was quite mature and included the stuff about Mussolini and Hitler and the protests and poverty in South Africa and Brazil.

Definitely get these for your young readers.

Pele is amazing. He swore to never play in a World Cup again when England shamelessly roughed him up constantly (like only the English can!) but they brought in the yellow and red cards and fouls etc so he came back. So good!

Go Socceroos! Go Matildas! How awesome is Sam Kerr?

[David · Rating 4 out of 5]

Not being particularly a fan of soccer, I found myself liking What Is the World Cup? by Bonnie Bader more that I expected. The author presents a history of the game and the creation of the World Cup (apparently the most widely viewed sporting event in the world) that is played every four years as well as the well-known fanaticism of some of the fans. She follows the changes to the game from the 1930's to today. The popularity of soccer is due in large part to its simplicity as only a ball, an open field, and goal posts are needed to play. The book was well written and interesting even to me, and I learned more about the game itself as well.

[Mrs. Melaugh · Rating 4 out of 5]

In just over one hundred pages, this provides an efficient introduction to the World Cup soccer competition that is held every four years. Some of the most dramatic competitions and rivalries are highlighted, FIFA’s role as a governing body is explained, past and recent controversies FIFA has faced are included, and major soccer personalities are introduced, such as Pele who gets a whole chapter. Numerous black and white sketches appear throughout and sixteen pages of photos showing World Cup events from 1930 to 2014 are grouped in the center. End pages contain a chart of winners and host countries, timelines of the World Cup and world events, and a short bibliography.

[Sehej Sondh · Rating 5 out of 5]

I liked how this book was full of information about the world cup. I myself love soccer and watching the world cup and this book helped me learn a lot more about it. The book talks about both soccer and it's history. Plus It had 16 great pictures that were mostly about previous FIFA world cups. I don't have anything to complain about this story, it was just a non-fiction book. I would recommend this to a classmate, especially if they like soccer. I am pretty sure that this book is part of the "Who was/is" series and I would continue reading the rest of them (I have already read about half of the series)

[Alicia · Rating 3 out of 5]

Learned some new and fascinating things about the World Cup (that I didn't know much about to begin with). Bader highlights historical context as well as famous players and shares a bit about football (yes, I think we should get right with the world and call it football). Another well-rounded nonfiction book in this What is/what are? series.

[Blaire Malkin · Rating 4 out of 5]

My son has been super into soccer recently and this book gave a great history of the men’s World Cup including controversies and protests. I was disappointed that the women’s World Cup only had a one-page inset box devoted to it. I hope they do a future book (or maybe they’ve already done one) on women’s soccer and some of the us players.

[Meldau-Cummings Fam · Rating 4 out of 5]

Soccer is a game of hustling, not a game of luck or anything else, but how the team play through the whole game. Teams from different countries play to win the World Cup over and over again every four years. - G, 6yo

[Melinda · Rating 4 out of 5]

I am a fan of these books. What is the World Cup was a very informative book. I had no clue about some of the information about the teams, rules, and history of the World Cup. My students who are fans of soccer will enjoy this book.

[Kelly · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good general history of the World Cup.

[Karen Holt · Rating 2 out of 5]

Very plodding. Lots of facts. Easy read for kids maybe that is why they love them, but I doubt this series (if this book is any indication) will foster a love of reading.

[Lisa D · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved it ! Very informative guide to World Cup !

[Paul Delacruz · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good overall review of the World Cup and history of the sport.

[Tam Newell · Rating 2 out of 5]

80 years of World Cup games crammed into 100 pages. Too many scores and winners and not enough personal stories for me to connect with this book well.

[S.A.C. · Rating 3 out of 5]

There was nothing about the Women's World Cup which was disappointing.

[Ammar Taqi · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really found this book and intrusting especially for people who like football.

[Caleb · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved the book. I learned lots of new things, like how the USA women's team won the women's world cup three times!

[Katie Loftin · Rating 1 out of 5]

Should be called What is the MEN'S World Cup because that's all it talks about except for one paragraph

[Amanda Gilles · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love this series-even as an adult. They are a quick, easy, and impactful read leaving you with something to learn at any age;)

[Suzie · Rating 4 out of 5]

I thought the sidebar sections in this book were quite random and didn’t fit with rest of the chapter.

[Jacob Alvarado]

Good

[Rory Bernard · Rating 5 out of 5]

I’m a gigantic fan of soccer! (Football.) I’m glad I read this!

[Angel Gomez-Estrada]

“What Is the World Cup” by Bonnie Bader was a very fun book for me to read because I enjoy soccer and its tournaments. The book talks about the world cup and where it started (Uruguay) and how it was treated in those times. The book continues and talks about how the world cup progressed throughout the years and how much it was changing with rules and stuff until modern world cups. Some facts I didn’t know which now I do because of the book are that the first ever world cup was hosted in Uruguay during 1930. Another fact I didn’t know was that on June 21, 1970, over 100 thousand people were packed into the Estadio Azteca to watch Italy head up against Brazil which were both already world winners in Mexico. I found the book very interesting and was 100 percent one of my favorite books in this series. I would recommend this book to people who like to watch the world cup, or to people who want to learn more about the biggest sports event.