Ajani and friends play football in South Africa... after he has finished his homework and gotten water from the well. He joyfully calls his friends outside to join him in the game. Overturned buckets serve as goal posts. One boy acts as a guard for danger. The boys forget about their problems as they race for the ball. Then, a gang of boys tries to steal their venerated leather Federation football. However, they cannot dampen the fun of the game. Scoring is the best of all; vying for the black-and-white sphere, dribbling and running together cements the boys' friendship.

Goal! by Mina Javaherbin, 2010

I love the amber color of the earth and the blue sky in the illustrations. They really give the reader the feel of being in South Africa.

• Mina Javaherbin's web site
• Books about soccer
• Books about South Africa