They slept in the same bed, enjoyed the same books, and got
up at the same time every morning, even though it was still
dark sometimes. That’s because their Mama and Daddy wanted
their two youngest daughters to learn to play tennis so they
could have a better future.
Each morning started with clean-up because the local tennis
court was always littered. After clean-up, it was time for
practice with equipment that was old and used. Venus and
Serena served and volleyed, chased balls, and hit forehand
and backhand, forehand and backhand while their Daddy
reminded them to “Concentrate.”
Pretty soon, the girls could ignore the gunfire down the
block. They could forget about the trash on the tennis
court, and the fact that their equipment was old and
used-up, and that there was still homework to be done. They
started to get really good at tennis and they started
gaining respect from the kids in the neighborhood, from
people around the country, and from folks who wanted to
help.
With respect came new equipment and invitations to
tournaments. Venus would win her game, then Serena would
win, and they’d concentrate on winning again and again.
Venus would cheer when Serena was on the court, and Serena
would cheer when Venus was on the court. As the girls grew
into better tennis players, they grew into women with
fashion sense and power, too. And when it was time for Venus
and Serena to play one another on the court, they did it
just like they did everything else all their lives:
together.
Let’s face it: when it comes to the lives of Serena and
Venus Williams, there’s really not much left to publicly
tell. Certainly, author Jeanette Winter doesn’t share
anything new in Sisters, so why would your child want
this book?
Two words: the artwork.
Even if your child can’t read the words inside Sisters,
she’ll be able to tell the story because Winter’s vivid
illustrations carefully follow the words, and then some: the
telling of the tale is in the art but, more so than with
many picture books, backgrounds matter. There’s graffiti
behind the characters on one page, tough boys hiding in
another, and a definite sense that the Williams sisters
didn’t come from lives of luxury.
That gives browsing three to eight-year-olds a subtle sense
of why this book, and it should give parents comfort that
their children are learning about perseverance and
“concentration.” For that, Sisters is a book you’ll
want to catch.
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