The Sock Thief

A little boy named Filipe leaves very early for school and he steals socks along the way, leaving a mango in their place. Filipe is the Sock Thief. Each pair of socks he finds—hanging on the clothesline, on a windowsill, or resting on a fence—he picks up and leaves a fresh mango in their place. He stuffs the socks with newspaper, then twists, ties, and tightens, again and again until he has a ball. When he gets to school, his friends ask if he has the ball and they play soccer before school, during recess and after school. On his way home from school, Filipe returns each pair of socks with a thank-you note.

I really liked The Sock Thief. It was like no story I have ever read before. I liked that the author’s note at the back that says her father used to make soccer balls out of his grandmother’s stockings when he was growing up. I loved the illustrations—they are bright, colorful, and have lots of details to look at. I liked that the author used some Portuguese words and there is a glossary of the words at the back of the book.