BOARD BOOKS DOMINATE THE MARKET: Preschool publishing is a major area of focus, and the board book format is one of the fastest-growing categories in the children’s book marketplace. There are many successful board book series about science, activism, careers, and literature, but few for sports fans.

WORLD’S MOST POPULAR SPORT: Soccer has an estimated 3.5 billion fans around the world, giving this book a large audience to tap into. Soccer’s popularity in the United States is also growing with the success of the US Women’s National team and the expansion of the NWSL.



PUBLISHING IN TIME FOR THE 2022 WORLD CUP: The 2022 FIFA Men’s World Cup kicks off in November. This book’s publication is perfectly timed to tie into that promotional moment.

ALSO A BEDTIME BOOK: After a long and fun-filled day of playing sports, each book in the series will end with bedtime, addressing two perennially popular topics for this age group and format.

Diane Adams enjoys playing golf and watching baseball, among other sports. She’s the author of successful picture books such as Love Is, Two Hands to Love You, I Can Do It Myself!, and I Want to Help! She holds her master’s degree in English literature from California State University, San Bernardino, where she teaches children’s literature and humanities. Diane spends much of her time writing, visiting schools, and speaking at conferences.

Author Residence: Redlands, CA

Charlene Chua was born and grew up in Singapore, and moved to Canada in 2007. She worked as a web designer before moving to illustration full-time. Her first author/illustrator debut, Hug?, published in 2020. She now lives with her husband (and cats!) in Hamilton, Ontario.

Illustrator Residence: Hamilton, Ontario

Illustrator Hometown: Singapore