Goal

Publishers Weekly - Publisher's Weekly

More Where That Came From Fans of Robert Burleigh's ode to basketball, Hoops, will be drawn into the soccer action from the opening page of Goal. "Score tied. Muscles tense. Ball drops. After it--quick!" Readers learn soccer terms such as "backpedaling" and "chip pass" while watching the players use the field in Stephen T. Johnson's energized illustrations. ( Mar.) Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information.

Children's Literature

Poetry and soccer might not seem a likely mix, but this book melds the two quite nicely. What better way to describe the action of soccer than, "River-wide field/Flail of knees/Splash of many legs/ Hold your position! Defense!" or "Leap for the sky/Arms upraised/ Delirious dance/ We did it! We did it!" The pastel illustrations don't need primary colors to convey a sense of excitement and motion—the children are beautiful, animated and concentrated as they play their exciting game. A great way to introduce sports-loving kids to poetry. 2001, Silver Whistle/Harcourt,
— Judy Chernak

School Library Journal

Gr 2-6-The frenetic action of the final moments of a tied soccer game are captured visually and with quick descriptive poetry. "Players backpedaling./Digging heels./Explosions of gouged grass./Mark tight! Guard the line!" Burleigh's fast, physical lines leave readers as breathless as the young players who call frantic directions to one another as they fly across the field: "My side! Mine!" and "Watch their scorer!" and, finally, a goose-bump producing "We did it! We did it!" Johnson's extraordinary artwork is filled with movement and unusual perspectives. The choice of a pastel medium is ideal to illustrate the not-quite-focused blur of a fast-paced game. In the single- and double-page spreads, close-ups of moving body parts alternate with broader scenes showing boys and girls interacting on the field. The final illustration of the game-winning soccer ball snared in the net combined with the words, "You, me, us-/champions," says it all. This title joins a growing list of exciting sports poetry for children, including the author and illustrator's Hoops (Harcourt, 1997) and Charles R. Smith, Jr.'s Rimshots (Dutton, 1999). It begs to be read aloud.-Lee Bock, Glenbrook Elementary School, Pulaski, WI Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information.

Kirkus Reviews

Burleigh uses the familiar game of soccer to demonstrate the power of teamwork to achieve success. Down to the last few minutes of a league soccer game with the score tied, the goal in this case is scoring and winning. Short, clipped phrases are used to convey the pace and intensity in the final moments of a tight game. "Players backpedaling. / Digging heels. / Explosions of gouged grass. / Mark tight! Guard the line!" Reading it out loud causes a certain breathiness, like listening to one of the players zigzagging across the field. Describing what it's like to be charging "in a wall of wild bodies," knees flailing, "all wheeling as one," watching the "goaltender's catlike leap," the text is given minimal space. This leaves lots of room for the action-packed pastels whose blurry outlines illustrate the fast-paced drama on the field. Close-ups take the reader off the sidelines and right into the play. Although general in its philosophical aim of promoting the positive aspects of teamwork, this book has some very soccer-specific terms, such as "needle's-eye chink," and "chip pass unspooling," sure to delight soccer enthusiasts. Even non-soccer players can appreciate that glorious feeling of team victory. In the end, both male and female teammates are just happy champions who leap, dance, cheer, and put their hands together, one on top of the other, to celebrate their achievement. On the very last page there's an illustration of a soccer ball entangled in the net for the final, winning "Goal. / Goal. / GOAL." A real winner. (Picture book. 6-9)