His full name is Benedito da Silva, but everybody calls him Bené. The boy with the number 10 jersey loves football with all his heart. Bené does not only love playing and juggling with footballs, he and his family actually make a living out of manufacturing them. Each day, they make four or five balls, and it is Bené who sews them – and who puts their quality to the test... Only the good ones will sell.
The story about Bené is set in Brazil. Like many children in the poorer areas of Brazil (and of many other countries in the world), he has to help his family earn a living and does not attend school. His dream of wearing a genuine jersey and real football boots one day may never come true, but he is a artist with the ball, even when playing in his flip-flops.

The author and illustrator

When Eymard Toledo, who was born in Belo Horizonte, was a child, she spent all her holidays in the house of her grandmother in Ubá, a small village at the time. At the age of 25, after finishing her arts studies, she travelled Europe on her own. It was Berlin where she decided to stay, and where she completed her education, earning a master’s degree in industrial design. She has been living in Germany for more than twenty years now. She is married and has two sons, and lives in the city of Mainz. Once a year, they all head off to Brazil on holiday. And of course, they never fail to visit Ubá. Her two sons, as many boys in the world, love football. In Ubá, Eymard Toledo watches them play with the locals kids. Seeing their joy and their skill inspired her to write the story about Bené. → Eymard Toledo's website