THIS SKIRT WON'T WORK!

A rhyming review of the sportswear shifts that allowed women athletes to up their game.

Covering cycling, swimming, ice hockey, tennis, and soccer, Cooper shares a few jaunty facts about pioneering athletes in each sport and the new clothing they designed or adopted to compete more effectively. Though the author presents historical information in prose, she also includes rhymes: a snappy dismissal (“These jocks hate frocks”) and a declaration of intent to try something new (“We’ll hike up each dress as we ZOOM to success”). The rapid rhyme and scansion changes prevent readers from settling into a rhythm, though they’ll likely enjoy learning tidbits about these plucky athletes—mostly presenting white and all hailing from North America, Europe, and Australia. Katherine Knox, the first Black member of the League of American Wheelmen, designed a suit with knickerbockers for more efficient cycling; Annette Kellerman, “born with legs that didn’t work just right,” devised a sleek suit that allowed her to swim farther and faster. Energetic cartoonlike illustrations highlight the absurdity of women playing sports in long skirts and puffy sleeves, creating a satisfying reveal at the page turn, when they appear in more sensible shorts or less voluminous skirts. The backmatter deftly connects these historical changes to more recent innovations, including hijabs designed for sports and full-body unitards for women’s gymnastics.

Sporty, peppy fun.