You don’t have to follow tennis closely to be aware of the forces that are Venus and Serena Williams. Their incredible teenage rise to fame on the courts, through both their powerful skills and their boldness to break conventions of tennis style and stodginess, have made them amazing role models to a whole generation of young women.

Coco Gauff is certainly one of those young women. These past weeks at the Australian Open, the fifteen-year-old’s incredible performance has brought her to the center of a similar explosion of attention as the Williams’ sisters generated in the late 90s (check out The Undefeated‘s thoughtful reflection on the moment here). And the Williams sisters have each encouraged and lifted her up in their own way. Serena humbly declared, “I was nowhere near her level at 15 either on the court or off the court, not even close.” According to the New York Times, Venus said of Gauff, “She clearly wants it, works very hard, is extremely mature for her age…I think the sky’s the limit for her.”

In the past few years, several really beautiful and inspiring picture book biographies about the Williams sisters have come out. If your kids have noticed all the hubbub on TV about these incredible women playing and passing the baton on to a new generation (not without a fight, though!), these books could be a great way to stoke their interest.

 

Sisters: Venus & Serena Williams by Jeanette Winter

Jeanette Winter makes beautiful biographies. You may recognize her style from her books about Malala Yousafzai, Wangari Mathai and Zaha Hadid. In Sisters, her simple, gentle phrases and soft, deep colors make the book accessible even to very young children. She shows the Williams sisters’ journey from early childhood morning practices with their father on the public courts of Compton to scenes of their trophies piling high into the sky. She also touches on the hardships they’ve faced, showing how each sister faced illness and persevered.

Highlight: A two-page spread which shows the girls practicing side-by-side, in sync, relentlessly repeating stroke after stroke, disciplined and determined.

 

 

Serena: The Littlest Sister by Karlin Gray, illustrated by Monica Ahanou

This bio does a great job of highlighting the Williams family as a whole, including Venus and Serena’s three older sisters. This would be a great book for a youngest sibling to read. The illustrations are vibrating with energy–just like the sisters’ game!

 

Highlight: Real quotes at the end of the book from each sister.

 

 

Sisters & Champions: The Story of Venus and Serena Williams by Howard Bryant, illustrated by Floyd Cooper

The inspiring tone and illustrations in this bio will help kids better understand the hugeness of the Williams’ sisters dreams and rise to fame.

 

Highlight: Ending emphasizes the way in which the sisters gave a whole generation of girls role models to look up to.

 

 

Game Changers: The Story of Venus and Serena Williams by Lesa Cline-Ransome, illustrated by James E. Ransome

This bio’s illustrations, blending paint and collage, are so energetic.

Highlight: This two-page spread showing the Williams’ sisters facing off could inspire kids to scavenge through old magazines to make their own mixed media art-work.

 

If reading about the Williams sisters and their incredible work ethic, perseverance through hardship, and passion for tennis inspires your young reader to pick up a racket and try the game herself, you won’t need to travel far. Right in Crotona Park you’ll find the Cary Leeds Center for Tennis & Learning. They work with schools and offer free programs like Serve & Connect, in which police officers and children build relationships through tennis each Saturday afternoon.