How Soccer Changes Lives: Chris Navalta Shares Inspiring Player Journeys

In this episode of Reading With Your Kids, Jed welcomes Chris Navalta, author of Inspiring Stories of Soccer Greats, a powerful middle grade book timed perfectly for the World Cup. Chris, a lifelong sports fan and former sportswriter, shares how soccer's global reach and beautiful simplicity—just a ball and some space—make it the perfect backdrop for stories of perseverance, inequality, and hope. Chris explains that his goal wasn't just to spotlight stars like Lionel Messi, Alex Morgan, Christian Pulisic, and Vini Jr., but to reveal the real human struggles behind their success. Listeners hear about Messi's growth hormone deficiency and how FC Barcelona's support changed his life, Nigerian star Asisat Oshoala's fight against family expectations, and even David Clark, a blind striker who became England's greatest goal scorer and helped shape blind soccer worldwide. Chris and Jed talk about soccer as a unifying force capable of stopping wars, inspiring underdogs like Leicester City's miracle Premier League win, and offering kids everywhere a dream to chase. They also explore how families can use the book to spark conversations about resilience, opportunity, and asking, "Can I play this game too?"—no matter a child's circumstances. In the final segment, Jed chats with David John Preece, creator of the Mister Higgins picture book series. Inspired by his rescue dog, David's books gently invite families into conversations about kindness, inclusion, and grief, especially in Mister Higgins Comforts a Family, where Mister Higgins helps his family cope with the loss of their beloved Thelma.