I love the idea of this book: kids saving a tree by working together, set in Palestine and calling for freedom, homage to “Chicka Chicka Boom Boom,” the girls’ soccer/football team providing reinforcements,  but alas the words are muddled, the rhyme painfully forced, and the counting of players in positions, a little awkward. I think the point is fun with numbers, but a little plot of why the woodcutter is called to cut the tree, or who hired him, and thus why he feels the burden of apologizing, would have really gone a long way to make the book cohesive. I also wish the backmatter was more about Palestine and the destruction of trees rather than the lengthy bios of the author and illustrator.  With a little telling of the story and not reading the words as written, editing as you go, and some practice, the book can make for a decent read aloud and provide teachable moments about Palestine, teamwork, resisting, and soccer.  If you really work to sell it,  the book and the numbered soccer players can also be a bit of silliness and fun too.

The book starts horrendously.  The first page, or rather the first two lines should have been the inscription and the third line completely removed, as the first page makes no sense.  Had the story started with the second page and the “let’s play ball” sentiment, readers wouldn’t immediately be confused and off put going in to the story.  “Someone silly once said: ‘Kids don’t have fun when their trees are gone,’ but that’s just silly,” un no that isn’t silly, it is actually the point of the book.

The remainder of the book is in fact the soccer/football team climbing up the tree to keep the woodcutter, who is sleeping, from chopping down their olive tree when he wakes. Eleven players going up to protect, and with the girls team joining that makes 22.  Two goalies, a whole slew of defenders, and forwards, and midfielders, and when the woodcutter awakes, he has a whole lot of people to apologize to.

As to why the woodcutter was there, why the change of heart, why the need to apologize, why there is only one tree in the first place, and why the kids love this tree, sigh, we will never know.  Free Palestine, though, and Save the Trees.

The book is not OWN voice for the author nor illustrator, and there is no religion in the book save a few hijabs in the illustrations and a masjid and church lingering in the background.