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Sisters and Champions: The True Story of Venus and Serena Williams

Author Howard Bryant
Illustrated by Floyd Cooper
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Hardcover
$17.99 US
Penguin Young Readers | Philomel Books
8.88"W x 11.25"H x 0.34"D   | 14 oz | 24 per carton
On sale May 29, 2018 | 9780399169069
Age 4-8 years | Preschool - 3
Reading Level: Lexile AD750L
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"This one's a winner." --Chicago Tribune

A 2019 ILA Teacher's Choices Reading List Selection!

An inspiring picture book sports biography about two of the greatest female tennis players of all-time! Venus and Serena Williams: Best friends. Sisters. Champions.

Everyone knows the names Venus & Serena Williams. They've become synonymous with championships, hard work, and with shaking up the tennis world. This inspirational true story, written by award-winning sports journalist, Howard Bryant, and brought to beautiful life by Coretta Scott Kind Award and Honor winner, Floyd Cooper, details the sisters' journey from a barely-there tennis court in Compton, CA, to Olympic gold medals and becoming the #1 ranked women in the sport of tennis. Here is a worthy ode to Venus and Serena Williams, the incredible sister duo who will go down in history as two of the greatest athletes of all time.

"Alive with warmth and movement, these luminous, soft-edged scenes portray the sisters gradually growing into strong, capable women. A handsome sports biography." --Booklist

"There is a sharp focus in the book on the two sisters' special bond and friendship; it lies at the heart of this biography, and the women's stories are remarkable. It's high time they had their own picture book tribute."--Kirkus
"Author Bryant brings his considerable sportswriting experience to bear as he energetically shares one of sports' truly remarkable stories with young readers. Cooper's mixed-media paintings done with his reductive technique provide a strong sense of the Williams sisters' image while serving as a forceful compliment....An effective narrative and visual way to share a piece of sports history."
--Kirkus Reviews

"Cooper creates dynamic, naturalistic paintings of the sisters as children, adolescents, and adults on the court and off, setting them against grainy spreads. Bryant details their successes and personal setbacks, and their resilience shines through to the story’s finale..."
--Publishers Weekly

"We all know the ending, but Bryant, a senior writer for ESPN.com, makes the story new again with passion, clarity and a gift for good old-fashioned storytelling. He finds the universal in a very specific sport and tells a tale that’s rich with detail. The illustrations, faintly grainy like old photos, capture the nostalgia of promising beginnings and the intensity of world-class competition. This one’s a winner." 
--Chicago Tribune
© Erinn B. Hartman
Howard Bryant is the author of Shut Out: A Story of Race and Baseball in Boston, which was a finalist for the Society for American Baseball Research’s 2003 Seymour Medal, and Juicing the Game: Drugs, Power, and the Fight for the Soul of Major League Baseball. He is a senior writer for ESPN.com and ESPN the Magazine; appears regularly on ESPN’s The Sports Reporters, ESPN First Take, and Outside the Lines; and serves as sports correspondent for NPR’s Weekend Edition Saturday. He lives in western Massachusetts. View titles by Howard Bryant
© Jacob Blinkenstaff
FLOYD COOPER always dreamed of becoming an artist, and he has now illustrated dozens of books for children, including Jump! (From the Life of Michael Jordan), Back of the Bus, and Max and the Tag-Along Moon. He received a Coretta Scott King Award for his illustrations in The Blacker the Berry and a Coretta Scott King Honor for his illustrations in Brown Honey in Broomwheat Tea and I Have Heard of a Land. He lives in New Jersey with his family. Learn more about his work at floydcooper.com and follow him on Twitter @floydcooper4. View titles by Floyd Cooper

About

"This one's a winner." --Chicago Tribune

A 2019 ILA Teacher's Choices Reading List Selection!

An inspiring picture book sports biography about two of the greatest female tennis players of all-time! Venus and Serena Williams: Best friends. Sisters. Champions.

Everyone knows the names Venus & Serena Williams. They've become synonymous with championships, hard work, and with shaking up the tennis world. This inspirational true story, written by award-winning sports journalist, Howard Bryant, and brought to beautiful life by Coretta Scott Kind Award and Honor winner, Floyd Cooper, details the sisters' journey from a barely-there tennis court in Compton, CA, to Olympic gold medals and becoming the #1 ranked women in the sport of tennis. Here is a worthy ode to Venus and Serena Williams, the incredible sister duo who will go down in history as two of the greatest athletes of all time.

"Alive with warmth and movement, these luminous, soft-edged scenes portray the sisters gradually growing into strong, capable women. A handsome sports biography." --Booklist

"There is a sharp focus in the book on the two sisters' special bond and friendship; it lies at the heart of this biography, and the women's stories are remarkable. It's high time they had their own picture book tribute."--Kirkus

Praise

"Author Bryant brings his considerable sportswriting experience to bear as he energetically shares one of sports' truly remarkable stories with young readers. Cooper's mixed-media paintings done with his reductive technique provide a strong sense of the Williams sisters' image while serving as a forceful compliment....An effective narrative and visual way to share a piece of sports history."
--Kirkus Reviews

"Cooper creates dynamic, naturalistic paintings of the sisters as children, adolescents, and adults on the court and off, setting them against grainy spreads. Bryant details their successes and personal setbacks, and their resilience shines through to the story’s finale..."
--Publishers Weekly

"We all know the ending, but Bryant, a senior writer for ESPN.com, makes the story new again with passion, clarity and a gift for good old-fashioned storytelling. He finds the universal in a very specific sport and tells a tale that’s rich with detail. The illustrations, faintly grainy like old photos, capture the nostalgia of promising beginnings and the intensity of world-class competition. This one’s a winner." 
--Chicago Tribune

Author

© Erinn B. Hartman
Howard Bryant is the author of Shut Out: A Story of Race and Baseball in Boston, which was a finalist for the Society for American Baseball Research’s 2003 Seymour Medal, and Juicing the Game: Drugs, Power, and the Fight for the Soul of Major League Baseball. He is a senior writer for ESPN.com and ESPN the Magazine; appears regularly on ESPN’s The Sports Reporters, ESPN First Take, and Outside the Lines; and serves as sports correspondent for NPR’s Weekend Edition Saturday. He lives in western Massachusetts. View titles by Howard Bryant
© Jacob Blinkenstaff
FLOYD COOPER always dreamed of becoming an artist, and he has now illustrated dozens of books for children, including Jump! (From the Life of Michael Jordan), Back of the Bus, and Max and the Tag-Along Moon. He received a Coretta Scott King Award for his illustrations in The Blacker the Berry and a Coretta Scott King Honor for his illustrations in Brown Honey in Broomwheat Tea and I Have Heard of a Land. He lives in New Jersey with his family. Learn more about his work at floydcooper.com and follow him on Twitter @floydcooper4. View titles by Floyd Cooper

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