From Publishers Weekly Readers will surely get a kick out of Saltzberg's (The Flying Garbanzos) hyperbolic portrait of an uncommonly spirited soccer mom. The night before Lena's first soccer game， her father announces that it is time she heard the story of a boy named Ruben and his mother， Mrs. Drinkwater. When Lena says， "Hey! This is about you and Grandma!" her father wryly responds that it is "a story about another boy named Ruben Drinkwater and his mom!" In the tale that follows， Mrs. Drinkwater wails "like a human siren" at Ruben's first soccer gameDplaying for the Atomic PicklesDand generally starts acting "as if she came from outer space." At subsequent games， she wears a hat shaped like a pickle and then an oversize pickle costume， complete with a cheerleader's skirt and pom-poms. But when Mrs. Drinkwater accedes to Ruben's plea to "act like the other parents，" he is unprepared for the results. Whimsical illustrations compound the fun， as in an image of Ruben using a periscope to spy on his mother from his bathtub， in hopes of determining if she really is an alien， and in the parting shot of Lena's parents (and her dog) arriving at her inaugural game for the Galactic Grapes， the three of them dressed as guess what? This soccer sortie scores high in hilarity. Ages 5-8. (June) Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information， Inc. From School Library Journal Kindergarten-Grade 2-This tale begins as a bedtime story told by a father before his daughter's first soccer game. He explains that， when he was a child， his mother embarrassed him at his soccer games by displaying excessive enthusiasm. He describes the time she dressed in a pickle costume to cheer on his team， the Atomic Pickles， finally convincing all of the other moms and dads to follow suit. Lena scoffs at this story until the next day， when her parents and the family dog arrive at her game dressed as Galactic Grapes. The cartoon illustrations are colorful and action-filled， often covering two-page spreads. The exuberant mother， dressed as a pickle and waving green pom-poms， and all of the parents emerging from a green blimp are particularly amusing. Saltzberg subtly offers good values for parents couched in a humorous story for children. While kids are sure to relate to it， it's a particularly good choice for coaches to use for a meeting with new soccer parents before launching into etiquette for enthusiastic audiences.Blair Christolon， Prince William Public Library System， Manassas， VA Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information， Inc. See all Editorial Reviews"