Big Kicks

Big Kicks
By:  Bob Kolar
Published By:  Candlewick Press
Picture Books

                                                                        Big Kicks

     This is not the best picture book I have ever read, however I did find the illustrations to be the best part of the book. The story is about a big bear that was asked to play on the soccer team, even though he had never played before. It turns out that by accident Biggie, the big bear, scores the winning goal for the team.
     I did not recognize this author, but I think it is really cool that he is also the illustrator. I am not an expert in identifying types of artwork, but I know that Kolar's illustrations are some kind of paintings. They are interesting to me because their simplicity is eye catching with lots of colors. The illustrations are fairly large and easy to make out. The illustrations make the story seem so positive, even when Biggie is upset because he is not the greatest soccer player.
     The inside of the book cover and back cover introduce the characters and themes of the story. For example Biggie plays the saxophone and eats sandwiches, so they are on the covers with the characters. This book can be used to build reading skills because it provides a lot of context clues for readers who may not understand what certain words are or mean. The pictures are included as context clues.
     I personally did not enjoy this book so much. I thought the story line was not too creative and nothing made it stand out to me, therefore, I would not want it in my library.