40. Goal!

Soccer books fly off the shelves in my classroom library. My kids can't get enough of them. So I picked out this book to bring back to my class.


Written by Mina Javaherbin and illustrated by A.J. Ford (2010), it portrays a soccer game among South African boys in their small town. Ajani is so excited because he finally got a brand-new, federation-size soccer ball. Their game was legit now. So excited, they begin playing...but they are also savvy and know that their streets are not always safe. A lookout makes sure that no one will come to steal their ball. When a crowd of bullies comes, they have a plan.


The book is uplifting and the story universal. Kids all over the world, rich or poor, have a love of the game. In fact, in her author's note, Javaherbin talks about how people play football (because that's its real name) in the face of poverty and danger. Football bonds people of the world together and connects them. Football 'makes both young and old feel that they belong, that they matter, and that they can win'. Wanting to write her first picture book about a universal experience, she chose the theme of football.


Told in the first person, most of the text is a play by play of Ajani and his friends' game. There is rhythm in repeated phrases that make it sound almost lyrical. Her style gives movement to the words, as if you were listening to announcers of the game. You feel immersed as a reader in the game and realize why they love it so much-- it helps them forget about the unsafe realities of their world. The kids shouting plays to each other and calling out when something is unfair are completely realistic. It's like I'm standing in the middle of my elementary school playground at recess.


The action of the words made me want to keep turning the page, but the illustrations made me stop.

Ford chooses double page bleeds for his oil paintings, giving us the landscape of the boys' world. From the title page on, we are introduced to the vast blue sky and the dusty-colored homes. The rest of the book follows the same palette, with muted earth tones of browns and oranges. Ford puts a realism into his work, with the lights and shadows of his faces and the attention to detail, down to the cracked walls and hanging clotheslines. The warmth of the boys' faces contrast with the tattered state of their clothes. The most effective aspect of his paintings is his depiction of action. The energy in his work is kinetic-- legs flying, headers in mid-air, arms akimbo. You can even feel it when the bullies come and you see the dust kicked up by their bicycle tires. He also uses interesting angles of vantage point that makes the game more intense. And the joy, the pure joy of playing the game that is evident in their faces is so powerful. They have a determined spirit, and Ford lets it shine.

It is a heart-warming tale of hope and joy in the midst of worry and fear. Which is kind of a metaphor for why I am a teacher. I want to bring happiness and love to students when the world surrounds us with so much hate sometimes. You could use it to teach about bullying or even as a jumping off point to study African culture. This will now occupy a special place in my library.