Pele: King of Soccer/ El rey del futbol by Monica Brown, illustrated by Rudy Gutierrez (HarperCollins, 2009). 

As a little boy, Pele played soccer in the streets of Tres Coracoes in Brazil, sometimes with an empty stomach and a grapefruit or newspaper ball. He went on to be one of the most famous and gifted soccer players in history with a career total of 1,281 goals and three World Cup championships. 

This book brings his story to life with beautiful artwork and a lot of focus on his amazing soccer skills. 

(Image source: Monica Brown’s website)

The Fantastic Undersea Life of Jacques Cousteau (2009) by Dan Yaccarino.

Children of the 70s, do you remember watching Jacques Cousteau on PBS? I do. Dan Yaccarino’s book will bring that back and give you an excuse to introduce Cousteau to this generation of kids.

Yaccarino’s book is full of interesting background on this important man. As a child Cousteau was encouraged to swim by his doctors to build up his strength. He also loved to tinker, which came in handy throughout his life to develop new devices to explore deeper and deeper depths.  Later when he was a young man, a car accident left him badly hurt. When his doctors told him he would have to wear arm braces for the rest of his life, he refused to accept that reality and swam in the Mediterranean every day. When a friend gave him some goggles to see underwater, it was like his fate was sealed.

Jacques Cousteau went on to make scores of important discoveries in the ocean that he loved so much. But probably his most lasting contribution is as a conservationist. In his own words, “We protect what we love.”

(Image source: Yaccarino Studio)