The 21 best kids soccer books for all ages

Recommended reading age: 4-7 years

Goodnight Soccer is a great bedtime read for younger children who love the game. With rhyming text and vibrant art, the book encapsulates everything wonderful about the world of soccer. It will definitely be a success with young ones right before bed.

Recommended reading age: 8-12 years

Created for boys and girls who love soccer, this fantastically-fun soccer activity book will keep any soccer-mad kid busy, happy and entertained for hours with a wide variety of soccer-themed fun. It includes games, word searches, puzzles, doodling pages, and so much more.

Recommended reading age: 8-13 years

This fun book tells the story of Leo, who has a pet lizard named Messi and gets a call-up to try out for the London Dragon's youth squad - The Academy. This story will take you on the journey of a young boy's dream to make it as a soccer player.

Recommended reading age: 8-11 years

She Shoots, She Scores! is an excellent collection of facts and statistics about women's soccer, along with pocket profiles of the top players who have graced the game. With a foreword from Manchester City defender Steph Houghton, this is a great introductory book for any youngster to learn more about the women's game.

Recommended reading age: 7-10 years

Read all about the soccer legend Lionel Messi who has won it all - including the recent World Cup with Argentina in 2022. Get inspired by the story of a young boy who faced many obstacles throughout his life and career but became arguably the greatest soccer player of our generation.

Recommended reading age: 6-12 years

From the creators of quarterly cult football magazine Mundial comes this whopper of a book that is cool, charming, and full of quirky information. Serving as a guide to all things soccer, kids and adults alike will have hours of fun poring over all the fun details and colorful illustrations.

Recommended reading age: 7+ years

Learn all about the soccer careers of the 25 greatest players that have graced the game - from the 1950's all the way to now. The illustrated book gives you a step-by-step guide to their soccer journey from childhood to their days at the highest levels.

Recommended reading age: 9-12 years

He's a hero for many, so who better to take life advice from than Marcus Rashford MBE? This handy guide will boost the confidence of kids. It features plenty of stories from the star's life and brilliant advice from performance psychologist Katie Warriner.

Recommended reading age: 8-12 years

Jaz Santos vs The World is the first in a new book series about a young girl’s self-made football team and has been praised by esteemed children's book author - Jacqueline Wilson. It’s an awesome story of self-empowerment and belief that will get kids to dream bigger.

Recommended reading age: 8-12 years

Football can so often be a force for good across the globe, outside of what its stars manage to achieve on the pitch - and this gem of a book dives into some of those unsung stories, and how they have improved the lives of others around them.

Recommended reading age: 7-10 years

These books are uber-popular, with over a million copies sold. They are simple (unofficial) biographies aimed at children, so they read like a story that will entertain. This collection comes with ten books, with the best football players of all time featured.

Recommended reading age: 8-11 years

The Charlie Fry series is an epic saga about achieving your footballing dreams and overcoming adversity. 11-year-old protagonist Charlie Fry has Cystic Fibrosis, but that doesn’t stop him from playing football. There are seven books in this series - including The Football Girl Wonder.

Recommended reading age: 8+ years

If you know someone who likes the visual aspects of books, this book is the perfect photography-led read about soccer. Ten chapters, each focusing on football life lessons, make up Play Like a Girl. Featuring some big names from women's football in the U.S., like Megan Rapione and Jessica McDonald - this book is a powerful read for teens who love the sport.

Recommended reading age: 8-12 years

This quirky, heartfelt, and humorous book is told from the perspective of Pickles, the dog who loves playing football with his two-legged best friend, Elsie. Two real stories inspire it, and through the soccer fanatics, there is the story of a Dad trying his best to provide for his little family.

Recommended reading age: 8-12 years

If you're looking to get an in-depth history of the beautiful game - this National Geographic book has you covered. It's picture led, so it's an excellent option for younger children who want on-field anecdotes, plus tips and tricks to help them be the best soccer player.

Recommended reading age: 7-12 years

Girls FC is a book series about 12 friends who start an all-girls soccer team, aka 'the best soccer team in the world' - after struggling to get the attention of the school coach. Each humorous book follows a different teammate’s unique story on the rollercoaster journey of both friendship and soccer.

Recommended reading age: 3+ years

The Three Little Monsters and the Cranky King by Teydon Rae is a great fictional bedtime read for soccer-mad young ones. The story is about three young monsters who come face to face with the lonely monster king - who isn't as mean as he looks. The soccer twist begs the question can the beautiful game bring them together?

Recommended reading age: 3-6 years

If you have younger ones who love to kick about a soccer ball, this is a great book to keep their love of the game going. It's a level one reading book, so perfect for small children to get to grips with reading.

Recommended reading age: 7-15 years

This book is a great one for young children who want to start to refine their soccer skills from a young age. Whether it's the control or technical skills, the Soccer Smarts for Kids: 60 Skills, Strategies, and Secrets has you covered with inside knowledge from a soccer coach.

Recommended reading age: 9-12 years

If you have a young child who wants to emulate their USWNT heroes - they're going to love this book. It's also a brilliant book for children who want to know more about the individual figures in women's soccer who continue to change the game. It includes colorful illustrations with statistics and player skills profiles to make it easier to absorb the information for younger readers.

Recommended reading age: 9-12 years

Be inspired by Lily's story, who works in a munitions factory but, during her lunch break, will be found kicking a soccer ball around with her workmates. They form a team called The Rockets together, but with the war, the jobs and soccer both disappear. What will Lily do next? You'll have to read on to find out.