Aki Fukuoka – illustratör

Australian Matildas and World Cup superstar Sam Kerr teams up with Aki Fukuoka to bring young readers this fun and inspiring illustrated series about soccer, school, sport, friendship, dealing with bullies and following your dreams.  Sam Kerr is an Aussie rules football fan through and through. But when she’s excluded from her team she doesn’t know what to do. Netball? No thanks. Chess? Bleugh.Her best friends Dylan and Indi think she should flip from AFL to soccer – and it doesn’t seem so bad at first. The coach is OK. The team seems nice enough …But with Chelsea the school bully on her case and the pressure of learning new rules weighing her down, will it all be too much? Will Sam give up – or will she make the flip?‘A fun book packed with cool illustrations. It follows themes of family and perseverance that will totes leave you feeling inspired!’ Total Girl

Australian Matildas and World Cup superstar Sam Kerr teams up with Aki Fukuoka to bring young readers this fun and inspiring illustrated series about soccer, school, sport, friendship, dealing with bullies and following your dreams.   Sam Kerr is an Aussie rules football fan through and through. But when she’s excluded from her team she doesn’t know what to do. Netball? No thanks. Chess? Bleugh. Her best friends Dylan and Indi think she should flip from AFL to soccer – and it doesn’t seem so bad at first. The coach is OK. The team seems nice enough … But with Chelsea the school bully on her case and the pressure of learning new rules weighing her down, will it all be too much? Will Sam give up – or will she make the flip? ‘A fun book packed with cool illustrations. It follows themes of family and perseverance that will totes leave you feeling inspired!’ Total Girl

Australian Matildas and World Cup superstar Sam Kerr teams up with Aki Fukuoka to bring young readers this fun and inspiring illustrated series about soccer, school, sport, friendship, dealing with bullies and following your dreams.   Sam Kerr is an Aussie rules football fan through and through. But when she’s excluded from her team she doesn’t know what to do. Netball? No thanks. Chess? Bleugh. Her best friends Dylan and Indi think she should flip from AFL to soccer – and it doesn’t seem so bad at first. The coach is OK. The team seems nice enough … But with Chelsea the school bully on her case and the pressure of learning new rules weighing her down, will it all be too much? Will Sam give up – or will she make the flip? ‘A fun book packed with cool illustrations. It follows themes of family and perseverance that will totes leave you feeling inspired!’ Total Girl

Shortlisted for the 2024 R.E.A.L. Awards Shortlisted for the 2024 Yabba Awards, Fiction for Younger ReadersAustralian Matildas and World Cup superstar Sam Kerr teams up with Aki Fukuoka to bring young readers this fun and inspiring illustrated series about soccer, school, sport, friendship, dealing with bullies and following your dreams.   After a rough start, Sam Kerr settles into playing soccer for the Knights. But there’s so much to learn – new rules and positions and strategies … Lately, it seems like soccer is the only thing she can think about. When she finds out she’ll have to wear a dress (gross) and dance in front of a hundred people at her cousin’s upcoming wedding (terrifying), Sam feels like she’s all but had enough. So why isn’t her best friend Indi supporting her? And why is school bully Chelsea suddenly a bit … nice? Will Sam be able to mend her friendships – and score a few goals in the meantime – before it’s too late?   ‘A fun book packed with cool illustrations. It follows themes of family and perseverance that will totes leave you feeling inspired!’ Total Girl on The Flip Out

Australian Matildas and World Cup superstar Sam Kerr teams up with Aki Fukuoka to bring young readers this fun and inspiring illustrated series about soccer, school, sport, friendship, dealing with bullies and following your dreams.   It’s official! Eleven-year-old Sam Kerr is a fully-fledged soccer tragic! So, when the school’s annual Sports Day comes around, she is disappointed when soccer isn’t on the list of activities.   Sam goes on a mission to get her beloved game added to the program. With help from her best friends, Indi and Dylan, she petitions her classmates to create the first-ever soccer team in the history of her school. But will Chelsea stir up trouble and ruin everything?   On the home front, Sam and her siblings are organising a surprise party for their parents’ wedding anniversary. But things aren’t going to plan! And with her team’s grand final just around the corner, there’s a lot to deal with … even for a soccer superstar in the making!   ‘A fun book packed with cool illustrations. It follows themes of family and perseverance that will totes leave you feeling inspired!’ Total Girl on The Flip Out

Australian Matildas and World Cup superstar Sam Kerr teams up with Aki Fukuoka to bring young readers this fun and inspiring illustrated series about soccer, school, sport, friendship, dealing with bullies and following your dreams.    Sam Kerr has only been playing soccer for a few months and now her team is playing in the finals! She can’t believe it! But when her best friend, Dylan, is appointed team captain, Sam is worried that his shyness might get in the way. Together with her other bestie, Indi, they must find a way to help him overcome his nerves.   Meanwhile, Sam has become friends with her new neighbours Jake and Will. But strange things start happening: she loses her new water bottle, her soccer boots go missing, and her dog, Penny, disappears from the garden.   Sam has had enough! It’s time to get to the bottom of the mystery in the midst of preparing for her finals match. It’s not always easy being a soccer superstar!   ‘A fun book packed with cool illustrations. It follows themes of family and perseverance that will totes leave you feeling inspired!’ Total Girl on The Flip Out

Australian Matildas and World Cup superstar Sam Kerr teams up with Aki Fukuoka to bring young readers this fun and inspiring illustrated series about soccer, school, sport, friendship, dealing with bullies and following your dreams.    Sam Kerr has only been playing soccer for a few months and now her team is playing in the finals! She can’t believe it! But when her best friend, Dylan, is appointed team captain, Sam is worried that his shyness might get in the way. Together with her other bestie, Indi, they must find a way to help him overcome his nerves.   Meanwhile, Sam has become friends with her new neighbours Jake and Will. But strange things start happening: she loses her new water bottle, her soccer boots go missing, and her dog, Penny, disappears from the garden.   Sam has had enough! It’s time to get to the bottom of the mystery in the midst of preparing for her finals match. It’s not always easy being a soccer superstar!   ‘A fun book packed with cool illustrations. It follows themes of family and perseverance that will totes leave you feeling inspired!’ Total Girl on The Flip Out

Australian Matildas and World Cup superstar Sam Kerr teams up with Aki Fukuoka to bring young readers this fun and inspiring illustrated series about soccer, school, sport, friendship, dealing with bullies and following your dreams.   The 2006 World Cup is around the corner and thirteen-year-old Sam Kerr is pumped! Even though the games are being played on the other side of the world, Sam and her best friend, Dylan, are planning to get up early to watch the games live on TV. They couldn’t be more excited! But there’s more for Sam to get excited about when she’s invited to trial for a rep soccer team; the coach of the team has seen Sam play and is blown away by how good she is. Sam is thrilled when she gets into the team, then she realises she has to juggle training with the Knights AND with her new rep team. And when her mum and dad organise a family holiday interstate it looks like Sam might have to miss out because of her new timetable.   Sam starts to question if she’s really ready for the big time. Will watching the World Cup convince her that she wants to play in the rep team, or will the juggle of school, training and games all become too much for a girl who has just started high school?   ‘A fun book packed with cool illustrations. It follows themes of family and perseverance that will totes leave you feeling inspired!’ Total Girl on The Flip Out

Australian Matildas and World Cup superstar Sam Kerr teams up with Aki Fukuoka to bring young readers this fun and inspiring illustrated series about soccer, school, sport, friendship, dealing with bullies and following your dreams.   The 2006 World Cup is around the corner and thirteen-year-old Sam Kerr is pumped! Even though the games are being played on the other side of the world, Sam and her best friend, Dylan, are planning to get up early to watch the games live on TV. They couldn’t be more excited! But there’s more for Sam to get excited about when she’s invited to trial for a rep soccer team; the coach of the team has seen Sam play and is blown away by how good she is. Sam is thrilled when she gets into the team, then she realises she has to juggle training with the Knights AND with her new rep team. And when her mum and dad organise a family holiday interstate it looks like Sam might have to miss out because of her new timetable.   Sam starts to question if she’s really ready for the big time. Will watching the World Cup convince her that she wants to play in the rep team, or will the juggle of school, training and games all become too much for a girl who has just started high school?   ‘A fun book packed with cool illustrations. It follows themes of family and perseverance that will totes leave you feeling inspired!’ Total Girl on The Flip Out

A special collection of stories from Sam Kerr’s Kicking Goals series, with a bonus journal featuring soccer tips and tricks from the Matildas captain and World Cup superstar. Sam Kerr hasn’t always been a soccer legend. She was an Aussie Rules tragic through and through. But when excluded from her team for being a girl, she has to change direction. Her best friends Dylan and Indi reckon she should flip from AFL to soccer but with the pressure of learning the new rules, and the school bully Chelsea on her case, Sam has to learn fast! The Kicking Goals bumper collection includes the first four exciting stories in Sam Kerr’s awesome Kicking Goals series. It follows Sam’s journey from soccer newbie to playing in the finals. Inside you’ll find The Flip Out, A New Knight, Sports Day and Finals Fever along with a bonus Sam Kerr journal packed with soccer know-how, tips, stats, activities and places for you to record your own soccer highlights.