Review | Sammy Striker and the Football Cup by Catherine Emmett and Joe Berger

Sammy Striker by Catherine Emmett fills a much-needed gap in picture books by giving us a football-mad heroine who succeeds by embracing her own unique style. Inspired by author Emmett’s frustration at the lack of women’s football stories for very young readers, the book comes with an impressive seal of approval, a foreword from Lioness Beth Mead, and even got the CBeebies Bedtime Story treatment from England Vice Captain Millie Bright in March 2024.

At its core, Sammy Striker is an underdog story with a fresh spin. Football runs in Sammy’s family (her great-grandfather gives her a ball before she can even walk) and she grows up loving the game. One day she’s spotted in the park and invited to join the national under-8s team. But there’s a snag: she can’t shoot in a straight line like the other players. Her otherwise strong play isn’t converting into goals, and when the Football Cup arrives, she starts on the bench. Called in as a sub after an injury, Sammy gets a pep talk from her manager: the team already has straight shooters, what they need is her signature bend. The match ends with the neat moral that “it’s what makes you different that helps you succeed.”

The rhyming text has a gentle, read-aloud quality that works beautifully for bedtime. That said, some of the vocabulary (“wrench,” “hoisted”) might fly over the heads of younger kids or prompt a quick explanation from an adult.

One moment gave me pause: Sammy comes close to tears with frustration. I found myself wondering: would the same reaction have been written for a boy called Sam? It’s a tricky balance for authors. Showing a girl cry risks feeding old stereotypes, but questioning her tears risks policing emotions in its own way.

Joe Berger’s illustrations are bright and playful, using bold colours and varied layouts to keep each page full of energy. My favourite spread shows Sammy practising her shots, with red dotted lines tracking her trademark bends, a clever, visual way of showing her struggles and skills.

Overall, Sammy Striker is a lively, uplifting read that does more than tick a representation box. It gives young football fans, especially girls, a simple, empowering message: your quirks are your strength, both on the pitch and beyond.

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