Goal!

May 1, 2014
Writer Taylor and photographer Vilela give a brisk nod to the international spirit and enjoyment of soccer.Crisp photos of children playing the game in Spain, Tanzania, Iran, Pakistan and more make it clear that one of the great beauties of soccer is that all players need is a round object of approximately a certain size to play. It can be made of the latest composite material and pumped to a precise psi, or it can be a bunch of rags bound by twine. Little rivals the elemental pleasure of giving a round object a good, sharp kick; just look at the faces of all the kids captured by Vilela: They are, in a word, gleeful. While much of Taylor's text is forgettable-"There's nothing quite like the excitement before you start a game of soccer. Anything can happen!"-it does express the free-spirited, class-transcending joy of the game. The brief text is accompanied by a squib of information from a particular nation set as a boxed item: Togo fielded a 13-year-old in a World Cup qualifier, for instance. Far and away, Vilela's photographs take center stage: They are full of action and neat slices of geography as well, with kids playing beside the megaliths of Stonehenge, stupas in Nepal and a refugee camp in Jordan.A solid introduction to soccer, carrying with it the sport's openness to any and all. (Picture book. 4-8)

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June 1, 2014

Gr 1-4-Eye-catching photographs and straightforward text introduce soccer and showcase the accessibility and universality of the sport. The opening endpaper-a close-up image of well-worn soccer balls stowed in a net bag-sets the tone, conveying that this book is about real kids who play a much-loved game. Displayed on handsomely designed spreads, Vilela's vivid images capture the exuberance of young footballers representing an assortment of countries and cultures. For instance, a Brazilian boy performs a perfectly timed header, a smiling youngster dribbles in a field near England's Stonehenge, a teen sporting flip flops juggles a ball in Ghana, and two kids vie for ball possession in the streets of Iran. Photos of Tanzanian children playing with a sphere cleverly fashioned from wire and rags or barefoot youngsters in India kicking a ball in a dusty spot beneath a tree emphasize the fact soccer that can be enjoyed almost anywhere and does not require expensive equipment. Boxed soccer facts about each country are included, and an outline map showing their locations is appended. A rousing celebration of global diversity and the game that unites us all.-Joy Fleishhacker, School Library Journal

Copyright 2014 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

July 1, 2014
Grades 1-4 Language and cultural barriers may exist, but socceraka footballhas become a common denominator among nations around the world. This attractive book sets out to demonstrate how the sport engages kids, rich or poor, with or without shoes. The ball itself may be top-of-the-line or constructed by wrapping a wad of rags into something that can be kicked around. The rules may vary, too, but overall the game, and the spirit, is the same. The format of each two-page spread is similar: brief text about the game, often addressing the reader in second person; a sun-saturated color photograph of kids from around the world playing soccer; and a text-box insert about the sport in that country. The book concludes with a world map showing the 14 featured countries and the year each began playing soccer. Not to be confused with a guidebook that teaches rules, this is, rather, an introduction to the universality of the sport.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2014, American Library Association.)