The ref blows the whistle, the striker approaches for kickoff, feet fly—a soccer match is underway! With a fun mix of Sports Illustrated action photography, simple text, a full glossary of terms, and awesome graphics, introduces readers to the world’s favorite game. Kids (and probably a few adults, too) will learn how the clock counts “up” and never stops, what an offside means, what’s up with those yellow cards, and how kicks become a gooooaaaallll! Illustrated "rookie" characters appears on every page, guiding the reader moment by moment, and helping to make an ideal shared reading experience between parents and their little rookies before, during, and after the game.