GAME, SET, SISTERS!
The Story of Venus and Serena Williams
From the Who Did It First? series
by Jay Leslie ; illustrated by Ebony Glenn
The latest book in the Who Did it First? series focuses on the lives of tennis-star sisters Venus and Serena Williams.
As one would expect, the book spotlights the tennis greats’ major successes and challenges in the sport, but it places an equal focus on the relationship among all the Williams sisters: Venus, Serena, Isha, Lyndrea, and the late Yetunde. Leslie moves through her account efficiently, enabling young readers to glean important information about the subjects without bogging them down in details. The book begins with their early days on the tennis court in Compton, California, and continues through 2016, when they opened the Yetunde Price Resource Center in honor of the oldest of the five sisters, who died due to gun violence. In chronicling Venus’ and Serena’s professional lives, the book does not shy away from the racism that the two faced from other players and tennis fans. Glenn’s illustrations represent the subjects well and capture the sisters’ signature beads and braids from their early years in the sport. The text falters a bit, failing to reveal why Venus refers to Serena as “Meeka,” nor does it locate geographically the Indian Wells tournament the sisters boycotted after receiving racist jeers. Dialogue is unsourced, but the backmatter includes a timeline and additional resources. (This book was reviewed digitally with 10-by-18-inch double-page spreads viewed at 56.3% of actual size.)An inspiring biography of athletes, friends, partners, and sisters.
(Picture book/biography. 4-8)