This review covers two children’s books based on the movie of the same name: Kicking & Screaming: The Comeback Kids and Kicking & Screaming: My Dad, the Coach. The books target kids ages four through eight, use color photos from the movie and readable text for emerging readers.
In Kicking & Screaming: The Comeback Kids, the Tigers soccer team loses every game and have few skills to help them win. To make things worse, the dad who becomes coach knows little about the sport. Dad gets lucky because famous football coach, Mike Ditka, lives next door and agrees to help coach the team. After giving motivational speeches and putting the team through drills, the Tigers still lose games.
Ditka has an idea. He introduces the coach Dad to two kids who work in their uncle’s butcher shop. Soon enough, the team learns the new kids play well and begins winning games. The coaches tell the boys to get the ball to the two kids and let them take care of the rest.
Kicking & Screaming: My Dad, the Coach begins with Sam’s grandfather trading him from the first place Gladiators soccer team to the worst team in the league, the Tigers. Team doesn’t have a coach. So Sam’s dad steps into the coaching role and recruits two talented players who lead the team to its first win. Soon, Dad becomes all about winning just like his father, Sam’s grandfather.
The story is similar to The Comeback Kids except it focuses on Dad’s coaching and his growing desire to win while sacrificing teamwork. The Comeback Kids highlights the team and the road they take to start winning games.
The books, like the movie, won’t be classic. They’re somewhat awkward as the author has the challenge of translating the movie into books for easy readers. They teach about competition, good sportsmanship and teamwork. The two books are much alike, so one or the other would be enough if you want to invest in an average children’s book.
Though Meryl was a competitive athlete while growing up, as a parent, she’s appalled by what’s happening in kids’ sports and how parents have become obsessed with their children excelling. Hey, remember, “Fun?”
Title: Kicking and Screaming: My Dad the Coach
Title: Kicking and Screaming: The Comeback Kids
Author: Catherine Hapka
Publisher: Harper Kids Entertainmnet
ISBN: 0060772557 (My Dad, the Coach)
ISBN: 0060772549 (The Comeback Kids)
Date: April 2005
Format: Paperback
Pages: 32
Recommended ages: 4 – 8
Price: Cover: USD$3.99 Amazon: $3.99 (Dad)
Price: Cover: USD$3.99 Amazon: $3.99 (Comeback Kids)
