The Field by Baptiste Paul Illustrations by Jacqueline Alcántara

Soccer, the island’s national sport! When we read The Field, every boy and girl in the classroom experienced the feeling of freedom that comes with playing soccer with friends. During vacation, our children are outside playing with their friends all day long. And so they immediately and easily connected with the story. A special aspect of this book for the kids in our island is the use of their traditional native language : creole. The teacher, as well as the students, learned a lot of new words in creole. Children everywhere will enjoy this glimpse into the caribbean way of life with warm temperatures, outside time, creole, and the universal language of soccer!

Wonderful illustrations capture the sensations of being in the midst of a soccer game.
We could almost feel the dirt on our clothes and hands while looking at the picture.

Rain will not stop the fun! On the contrary, it makes things better. The children love to play in the mud!

Oh no, time to go home! This part of the story was the moment when the most conversation took place in the classroom. The children were eager to express how they felt when they have to go home.
Most of them understand well how hard it is — most of them do not want to stop a game.

Soccer doesn’t end on the field. It follows them in their dreams. And their teacher learned some of these boys and girls dream of being famous soccer players themselves.