Rated E for Everyone

On the island of Koh Panyee, in a village built on stilts, there is no open space.

How will a group of Thai boys play soccer?

After watching the World Cup on television, a group of Thai boys are inspired to form their own team. But on the island of Koh Panyee, in a village built on stilts, there is no open space. The boys can play only twice a month on a sandbar when the tide is low enough. Everything changes when the teens join together to build their very own floating soccer field.

I don’t read many books about sports, but I made an acceptance for this inspiring true story.

I love the Thailand island setting. The illustrations bring to life the beauty of a village on the water. It’s so nice to read and learn about far-off countries and cultures. I’m hoping to find more books like this.

The boys’ love of soccer and their determination to build a place to play is inspiring. They didn’t have much, so they worked with what they had. Considering that the floating platform was made out of scraps of wood and other discarded materials, I’m impressed that they could stand upright on it, let alone play soccer. That shows just how much they wanted to play and how skilled they were. These boys proved that you can accomplish anything if you are determined and persistent enough.

Be sure to read the Author’s Note and the perspective piece by Prasit Hemmin, one of the founding members of the Panyee Football Club.

If you want to learn more about the island of Koh Panyee and how much has changed since the floating field was first built back in 1986, click on the YouTube video link below:

Floating Football pitch in Thailand – Unisport World Tour

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YJ46aUOeiVQ

It’s not essential to the story, but I would like to mention that you can see someone slicing a jackfruit in the background of one of the pictures. Jackfruit is such an odd fruit. I got a kick out of seeing it.