- Hardcover: 32 pages
- Publisher: Douglas & McIntyre / Fsg Kids (April 2 2003)
- Language: English
- ISBN-10: 0374385009
- ISBN-13: 978-0374385002
- Product Dimensions: 28.3 x 25.6 x 0.9 cm
- Shipping Weight: 440 g
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Product Details |
Product Description
From School Library Journal
Grade 1-3-The fantasy of becoming a world-class soccer star and ultimately scoring a "wonder goal" has to have passed through many young players' imaginations. Foreman, a lifelong fan of the sport, captures this reverie in the artistry of his vivid watercolors. These are the real strength of the book. Each of his panoramic, framed scenes spans nearly the entire width of a spread, evoking the feeling of a larger-than-life dream. Crisp blue uniforms against lush green grass on the field lead up to a dramatic page where the ball smacks the net (heading directly toward readers). These visuals set the mood for the players' exuberant emotions as they celebrate a goal that wins the game. Endpapers depict Foreman's sketches of scenes of soccer being played in streets, fields, and schools and courtyards of countries around the world. This book will be suitable for dreamers in any sport.
Blair Christolon, Prince William Public Library System, Manassas, VA
Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information, Inc.
Blair Christolon, Prince William Public Library System, Manassas, VA
Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information, Inc.
From Booklist
Gr. 1-3. A boy who hammers in a winning goal for his local soccer team gains a sense of what it would be like to score the winning goal at the World Cup in this imaginative title. Teased by the other players for being the new guy, the boy is pleased when he has a "perfect" second half of a game, scoring a goal, although he's disappointed that his dad isn't there to watch. The pictures shift from the soccer field to the boy's bedroom, filled with soccer photographs, where the boy dreams of the future. These photographs mirror the action in the next set of illustrations, which show the boy's fantasies, as he plays in the final game of the World Cup; this time, of course, Dad is there. Foreman's language is appealingly simple, and the large, evocative watercolors add to the dreamlike quality, with details such as clouds that resemble players in action. Endpapers feature watercolor sketches of soccer being played throughout the world. A loving tribute to what the English call the "beautiful game." Todd Morning
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved
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Customer Reviews
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews on Amazon.com (beta)
Amazon.com:
3.5 out of 5 stars (2 customer reviews)
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
3 1/2 Exciting Soccer Drama, But Slightly Confusing, Jun 30 2006
By M. Allen Greenbaum - Published on Amazon.com
This review is from: Wonder Goal! (Hardcover)
With the Cup being played this year, Americans will once again renew their tenuous relationship with soccer. For some kids and adults, however, soccer is an enduring love, and they're just as enthusiastic--if not as rich in tradition, as their soccer-loving counterparts in other countries. Michael's Foreman's imaginative (both literally and figuratively) text and witty illustrations convey how children everywhere dream of attaining big goals (pun intended).
Foreman opens with a scene of a gigantic, dream-like soccer field, with hundreds playing on what looks like several square miles of turf. Our unnamed hero suffers a small practical joke from his teammates, but his on-field heroics quiet them until... he wakes up.
Or does he? It becomes somewhat confusing at this point, as Foreman overreaches in his blend of the past and the future, the longings of the boy and his father. The scenes seem to switch from dream to--perhaps the boy grown up?-- playing in a stadium in front of tens of thousands of international soccer fans. The story uses the cliche of the father too busy to see his son's big goal, except we are told that "his dad usually came to all the games." That doesn't seem so bad, but, after the boy shoots "the first goal of the Final" (either in his dream, or later as an adult, or with his real team in the present--I'm not sure), we're told, "And this time--this [italics added] this time, his dad was there to see it.
After he scores that tremendous goal ("The vast crowd erupted. He had hit another wonder goal!")in the huge stadium, we get an equally confusing statement: "Just like the goal he had scored all those years before on that freezing boyhood Sunday." This must refer to the "cold" day that opens the book; however, that soccer game is interrupted by a dream, or (more probably) an image of his father when he was a boy, and his father's similar soccer hopes and dreams.
OK, so maybe it doesn't matter that the text is somewhat confusing. Perhaps some would argue that the author masterfully switches point of view and timeframe. I think, however, that the cinematic shifts in time and narrator will confuse much of the book's intended audience. I like the range of emotions here, the context, the wit and intelligence, and the vivid, imaginative pictures, but a slightly simpler book may have been more effective.
3.0 out of 5 stars
Good for Introducing Big Goals, Aug 16 2006
By J. Schulman - Published on Amazon.com
This review is from: Wonder Goal! (Hardcover)
I agree with the reviewer who said the story was "confusing." I intend to use it as a read-aloud to introduce my class' big goals for the year, as I am a 5th grade teacher in New York. However, upon delving into the story, I, too, could not figure out if the boy was really playing in the World Cup final or just dreaming about it. I did not get in which game he was actually scoring a goal. Of course, the point is that everyone can have big goals and dreams, and see them to reality if they persevere. Hopefully, I can elicit student reactions without getting bogged down with the text. I can probably spur on some interesting discussion among students as to what the author's intentions were. I would welcome others' suggestions on 5th grade level books to share or read independently.
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