The Floating Field
THE FLOATING FIELD: HOW A GROUP OF THAI BOYS BUILT THEIR OWN SOCCER FIELD
Scott Riley, illustrated by Nguyen Quang and Kim Lien, Millbrook Press, 2021
The Floating Field: How a Group of Thai Boys Built Their Own Soccer Field is the true story of a group of boys who live in a floating village in Thailand. The boys are obsessed with soccer, which they can only play twice a month for a few hours when a sandbar near their floating village is exposed by low tides. This story follows the kids as they scrape together enough materials to build their own platform so that they can play soccer whenever they want. The Floating Field is written by Scott Riley, a Western visitor who learned the boys' story, and illustrated by Huynh Kim Lien and Phung Nguyen Quang, a team of Vietnamese illustrators whose saturated style brings movement and drama to the text. Back matter includes an extensive author's note about soccer and the origins of this story, as well as information from the one of the men who built the original floating field, Prasit Hemmin, Thai soccer vocabulary, a bibliography and suggested further reading.
Discussion questions
How did the unique floating field help the Panyee Football Club develop their football/soccer skills?
The kids in The Floating Field are very passionate about football. What is something that you are passionate about?
Look closely at the illustrations of the story to see if you can notice any details about life in Panyee. What do you think would be different about your life if you lived in a floating village?
Vocabulary
Jackfruit: a fast-growing tropical fruit from Asia
Buoy: an anchored float for mooring
High and low ocean tides: regular rise and fall of ocean water level (due to gravitational pull of the moon, rotation of the Earth, and geographic location) that exposes more or less of the coastal shoreline.
Prawns: crustaceans with external skeletons and 10 legs similar to shrimp, but differ in other ways (habitat, type or number of pincers, claws, and gills)
Groupers: one of many species of large fish with big heads and wide mouths that live in warm seas.
Sandbar: a ridge of sand built up by currents, especially in a river or in coastal waters. It can be exposed by low tide.
Video content
TMB Panyee FC short film This awesome video, from a Thai bank, tells the full story of the book (in Thai with subtitles). Towards the end, the grown ups (assumed from original 1986 team) are shown in a group shot. 5 min 15 sec.
Thailand's floating football pitch Wordless video footage of players on the floating field. 50 seconds.
Kim Lien and Nguyen Quang Share Their Process for Illustrating The Floating Field Illustrators share their process (in Vietnamese with subtitles). They’d never heard of the story until they were asked to illustrate it. 3 min 46 sec.
Publisher content
Written interview with author Scott Riley and KAA illustration: https://lernerbooks.blog/2021/03/the-floating-field-an-interview-with-scott-riley-and-kaa-illustration.html
Excellent teachers’ guide from SLJ: https://theclassroombookshelf.com/2021/03/29/kids-in-action-teaching-ideas-for-the-floating-field/
Activities
Set up a small soccer field and play a game. For an extra challenge, try focusing on the fancy footwork required in a small space!
Use recycled materials to build a flat floating structure. Challenge your students to design a structure that will support some weight—perhaps use LEGO people to represent the players on your field.
Look through this photo essay of soccer fields around the world: https://www.theatlantic.com/photo/2018/06/photos-soccer-fields-around-the-world/562862/ (unless you have a subscription, it only lets you access a couple articles a month, so plan accordingly).
Learn more about the country of Thailand, using your library resources and databases or the many books available on Epic! (free to educators).
Scott Riley
Author
https://scottrileyauthor.com/
Scott Riley is a teacher by day and children’s book author at night. Scott has spent nearly thirty years teaching in the US, Indonesia, Czech Republic, and Singapore. A member of NCTE, CLA, and SCBWI, Scott is inspired by colleagues near and far. Scott also draws inspiration from the people he meets and the places he explores while living overseas. His debut book, THE FLOATING FIELD: HOW A GROUP OF THAI BOYS BUILT THEIR OWN SOCCER FIELD (Millbrook Press 2021), is about one of those places. Scott currently lives in Singapore with his wife, two daughters, and one very lively labradoodle.
Nguyen Quang and Kim Lien
Illustrators
www.kaaillustration.com
We are Phung Nguyen Quang and Huynh Kim Lien. We are two Vietnamese illustrators working together under the pen name KAA. We mostly do illustration for children's books. Our illustration is inspired by the folk culture of Vietnam and Asia.
Companion books
ADA'S VIOLIN:
THE STORY OF THE RECYCLED ORCHESTRA OF PARAGUAY
Susan Hood / Sally Wern Comport
TITAN AND THE WILD BOARDS: THE TRUE CAVE RESCUE OF THE THAI SOCCER TEAM
Susan Hood and Pathana Sornhiran / Dow Phumiruk.
THE BANANA-LEAF BALL: HOW PLAY CAN CHANGE THE WORLD
Katie Smith Milway / Shane W. Evans.