Book Review of One Ball, One World: Emilio’s Dream of the World Cup
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The Children’s Book Review
One Ball, One World: Emilio’s Dream of the World Cup
Written by Claude Louis, MD
Illustrated by Maryna Kryvets
Ages: 7-12 | 52 Pages
Publisher: Claude Louis (2026) | ISBN: 978-1-962879-01-9
What to Expect: Resilience, global unity, football (soccer), overcoming trauma, and social advocacy.
A young Haitian boy uses the universal language of football and a heartfelt poem to transform a message of personal loss into a global call for peace.
Emilio lives in Canaan, Haiti, where he plays football with a ball made of rags and socks while dreaming of the World Cup. When Haiti’s national team miraculously qualifies for the tournament for the first time in fifty-two years, the celebration in his community is momentarily dampened by the familiar, haunting sound of sirens—a sound that once signaled the loss of Emilio’s parents. With the goal of turning fear into hope, Emilio enters a FIFA poem contest with “One Ball, One World.” But his journey takes an emotional turn when a visa travel ban threatens to keep him from his dream, testing his resilience and the power of his own message.
Written with evocative sensory details that contrast the harsh realities of Emilio’s life with the vibrant joy of sports, Claude Louis, MD, delicately balances the somber backstory of closed schools and displacements with an uplifting tone that culminates in a powerful speech that emphasizes unity over the final score on a scoreboard. The recurring motif of the “siren” shows Emilio’s emotional growth as he learns to reclaim a sound associated with trauma and turn it into a symbol of celebration.
Moving Emilio’s crowded corners of Canaan to the bright lights of an international stadium, Maryna Kryvets’ artwork beautifully mirrors Emilio’s journey from isolation to being heard by the world. Warm and textured, the illustrations capture the dusty, sun-drenched atmosphere of Port-au-Prince.
One Ball, One World is a moving tribute to the resilience of the human spirit and the power of advocacy—a must-read for young football fans and anyone interested in soccer, global cultures, or social justice, as well as educators seeking a poignant story about resilience and the impact of a child’s voice.
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About the Author
Dr. Claude Louis is a Haitian-born physician, humanitarian, and children’s author whose stories are inspired by his own childhood and the resilience and dreams of the children he serves in Haiti. He is the founder of Words In Action Haiti and a recipient of the 2021 Medical Society of Virginia Salute to Service Award for international medical outreach. Through his books and humanitarian work, he advocates for education, hope, and dignity for vulnerable children. All proceeds from his book sales go toward education initiatives for children in Haiti.
For more information, visit www.claudelouisauthor.com.
About the Illustrator
Maryna Kryvets is a children’s book illustrator from Ukraine whose illustrations appear in more than 40 books enjoyed by families around the world. Having earned her university degree in book graphics, she now dedicates herself to creating stories filled with warmth, emotion, and hope. Maryna is a member of Nimble Pencils, a team of talented Ukrainian illustrators who have been passionately creating multicultural illustrations for many years. Inspired by children’s imagination, different cultures, and meaningful human stories, Maryna creates illustrations that celebrate kindness, resilience, and the small moments of light that bring people together.
Dedicated Reviews allow authors and illustrators to gain prompt visibility for their work. This is a sponsored*, non-biased review of One Ball, One World: Emilio’s Dream of the World Cup. Learn more about getting a book review …
