Sisters Venus and Serena Williams

Two sisters lie awake in the bed they share in Compton, California. Their parents have decided they'll learn tennis, so early each morning, Venus and Serena head off to a dirty playground where older boys loiter. As the present-tense text proceeds, readers get a sense of the hard work the Williams sisters put into their careers, the obstacles in their way, and how their eventual successes bonded them. But all this is related in a compact text that provokes other questions: Why did the senior Williams decide on tennis as the girls' sport? How was their safety ensured before their skills turned the threatening lurkers around? What was the illness that felled Venus? Those questions may be answered in the back matter (not included in the ARC), but many children don't read notes. What the book does very well is tell the Williams sisters' story in a satisfying trajectory and with eye-catching illustrations that show the action from various perspectives. The tennis match scenes are particularly alive. A great introduction to an incredible sister act.--Ilene Cooper Copyright 2019 Booklist

Winters begins her understated biography of the Williams sisters in their childhood in Compton, Calif.: "Early morning, Daddy takes the sisters to the court, where some older boys still think it's night." The sisters are first pictured playing on a litter-filled court, but as they work hard to learn the game, they garner attention. Winter's dynamic yet mannered art style lends individual scenes a feeling of visual vignette. The sisters' skills result in an accumulation of trophies, and their personal flair shines through as they "try new ways of dressing and new hairstyles no one has seen on a tennis court before." Winter addresses the sisters' physical struggles and subsequent recovery as they "practice hard and hit those bright balls on their own tennis court-concentrating like they did when they were little." The affectionate story concludes with the two athletes embracing over the net, following one of their many matches. Ages 3-8. (Apr.) © Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.

A story about the love and friendship of two sisters and the determination of a family to succeed.From the very opening of the book, the story focuses equally on the loving relationship between African-American tennis champions Venus and Serena Williams and the affection and resilience of the Williams family in a challenging and often violent environment in Compton, California. The dedicated father and his daughters wake early every morning to clean the run-down tennis courts. The girls' focus as they practice draws the attention and protection of a group of older boys who like to hang out at the courts: their first fans. Well into the night, the girls study hard, supported by their mother and each other. The text and illustrations work together, much as the Williams sisters do, to highlight their history-making challenges and achievements. With changes in scenery and other vivid depictions that encourage readers to consider confrontations of race and class, the book aims for honesty while remaining age-appropriate for young readers. Images of the two brown-skinned sisters, hair in braids, against seas of white spectators speak volumes, as do later scenes that include the additions of some brown faces in those stands as the two adult superstars compete. The love of the family and complicated community is weaved throughout, creating a candid depiction of how love grows in all places and can provide the scaffolding for success.An ace. (bibliography) (Picture book/biography. 5-8) Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.