Sisters: Venus & Serena Williams

by Jeanette Winter

Celebrated picture book biographer Jeanette Winter shares the story of champion tennis players—and sisters—Venus and Serena Williams.

Before they were famous tennis stars, Venus and Serena Williams were sisters with big dreams growing up in Compton, California. In the early mornings, they head to the tennis courts, clean up debris, and practice. They compete in their first tournament and they both win. From there, the girls’ trophy collection grows and grows. Despite adversity and health challenges, the sisters become two of the greatest tennis players of all time. This inspiring story of sisterhood, hard work, and determination is perfect for budding athletes or any young reader with a big dream.

Genres: Biography, Picture Books, Sports, Nonfiction, Childrens, Family, Womens

48 pages, Hardcover

First published May 14, 2019

Reviews

[Julie · Rating 4 out of 5]

I loved the illustrations, especially for their depiction of the sisters' age progression and the glorious use of color! Their dedication to playing tennis and abiding love for one another truly shine through.

[Jen · Rating 5 out of 5]

All the good chills. I am always in awe of these women, but Jeanette Winter presents their story in such a beautiful, yet to the point way, that highlights what these sisters have accomplished.

[Ben Truong · Rating 4 out of 5]

Sisters: Venus & Serena Williams is a children's picture book written and illustrated by Jeanette Winter, which tells the biographies of Venus and Serena Williams, two tennis prodigies and sisters.

Venus Ebony Starr Williams and Serena Jameka Williams are American professional tennis players and are generally regarded as the all-time greats of women's tennis and are credited with ushering in a new era of power and athleticism on the women's professional tennis tour.

The text is rather simplistic, straightforward, and informative. Winter chronicles the lives of Venus and Serena Williams from children playing tennis in Compton, California and shows their struggles and perseverance to become two of the best tennis players in the world. The illustrations are dynamic yet mannered, which lends to individual scenes of several visual vignette.

The premise of the book is rather straightforward. Winter begins her understated biography of the Williams sisters in their childhood in Compton, California. The sisters are first pictured playing on a litter-filled court, but as they work hard to learn the game, they garner attention. 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. The affectionate story concludes with the two athletes embracing over the net, following one of their many matches.

All in all, Sisters: Venus & Serena Williams is a wonderful children's biography book, which tracks the amazing lives of the Williams sisters from humble beginnings to internationally acclaimed athletes.

[Erin Buhr · Rating 4 out of 5]

This picture book captures Venus and Serena Williams as they grow up and become two of the greatest tennis players in the world. It shows them learning to play tennis in Compton, shows their tight bond, and lets the reader witness them becoming the tennis stars they are today. Theirs is an inspiring story and Winter tells it with a pleasant rhythm, almost like the pleasing back and forth of a tennis match. I found myself filled with questions about them when I closed the book and maybe that's the point. This is a good introduction that encourages you to want to know more about these remarkable sisters.

[Colleen Chi-Girl · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wonderful biography of the infamous Williams sisters, Serena and Venus. This is a must for classrooms and school libraries. All libraries!

It’s an uplifting story of how two young girls trusted their parents and each other, and through hard work, consistency, and big dreams, they made it to the top and are two of the most famous tennis 🎾 players. Inspiring and true.

[Dawn Feicht · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a cute book based on the William sisters and their close bond. It provided wonderful illustrations and the story was nicely done too. I like that it displays diversity in the book and the moral of the story is not about fame or money. I really enjoyed this story and I am sure other children will love it as well.

[Shauna Yusko · Rating 3 out of 5]

I would choose Game Changers first. But if you need more about the Williams sisters...

[Annese · Rating 3 out of 5]

I enjoyed the illustrations, but no to the text. This is one of those books you immediately gravitate to because the cover is amazing, then you are ultimately underwhelmed by the actual story. To me, it felt like a very fluffed, stereotypical overview of their rise to stardom. I wanted more.

[Pam · Rating 3 out of 5]

Biography of Venus and Serena Williams for elementary level readers.
Information presented from childhood through illnesses to returning to the courts to compete again.
Soft focused illustrations support the text.

[wildct2003 · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good story

[Miss Sarah · Rating 2 out of 5]

An early elementary biography of tennis stars Venus and Serena Williams. Told in short burts.

[Mary · Rating 5 out of 5]

I come from a family of avid readers… In fact, one of my grandmothers was actually a school librarian, and the other still ravenously reads just about every book that has been published! Fortunately, our girls are lucky enough to know their 91-year-old great-grandmother, and even luckier for us, she loves to gift them books. When our older daughter turned 6 this past May, she received Sisters: Venus and Serena Williams from her great-grandmother, and it was an instant hit!
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When we first read Sisters, my girls knew little about tennis and even less about the Williams sisters. Yet, they still loved the colorful illustrations and the fact that it was a story about sisters. They asked questions about the Williams’ background, wondering things such as why they shared a bed, why the big boys in the neighborhood scowled, and what gunfire was. Their understanding of the world was broadened in a very gentle way, and they built empathy. For my husband and me, we couldn’t ask for much more!
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Then, my husband decided to learn to play tennis, and I decided to dust of my rackets and re-learn how to play. Our older tried a few very sweet children’s clinics and had a blast! And, we all watched Serena’s amazing run in the U.S. Open together.
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During one of Serena’s matches, the girls pulled this book out, and we’ve been reading it at least once per day for the last two weeks. Now that the girls have a context for tennis, they are beginning to understand the power, strength, and hard work the Williams’ accomplishments took. We talk about what people must do in order to overcome illness and come back stronger. I ask how it would feel to play in front of a big crowd of people who look different than they do, and how it would feel to play in front of an even bigger crowd of people in one of the biggest tournaments of the year. And we always cycle back to hard work and perseverance.
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Jeanette Winter and Beach Lane Books, thank you for this inspirational picture book biography! Have any of you read any of Winter’s many picture book biographies? The only one I’ve read is Wangari’s Trees of Peace.

[GlitterWater79 · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love that the book centers the Williams Sisters friendship and sisterhood as the real prize and heart of their success. Still, I would have liked more attention to the specifics of their history making wins either in the text or perhaps a timeline. They are such trailblazers and one could walk away from this book with the sense that they won trophies but not really grasp the earth shattering ways they changed the game with particular wins, Venus fighting for gender equity in pay. The book does highlight in a kid friendly way the way they changed the “look” of the game in terms of their physical appearance, and how they pursued their other passions off the court too and that was powerful. I would have liked for things around them being criticized for their body type and aggressive play, and the gender equity in pay issue to be represented similarly so this too is a lesson young people and adults who read this work can come away with too. I thought the art was warm and the colors were lovely.

[mackenzie · Rating 3 out of 5]

As a former tennis player born in the early 1990s, I grew up watching Serena and Venus Williams climb the WTA rankings and carve out their legacies on and off the court. I was so excited to read a biographical children’s book about the sisters but unfortunately, I was a bit underwhelmed by what was on the page. I wish the author would have expanded a bit more on the impact the sisters have continued to make. While this book is clearly focused on appealing to a young audience, the story could have been expanded past their birth, when they began playing tennis, and dealing with and recovering from illness. It felt disjointed and incomplete.

I did, however, love the illustrations and use of color throughout the story. This book is a good place to start in the realm of children’s book biographies, but definitely seek out additional materials for a better and more comprehensive picture of Serena and Venus and their global success and impact.

[Jessie · Rating 3 out of 5]

About the Williams sisters from beginning to train in Compton as children to being very successful on tour through the mid-2010s. Because of when it was written, this does acknowledge Venus's autoimmune disease, though not in any depth. It's pretty light on all of the obstacles/challenges, really, other than those in childhood.

I wanted a little more differentiation between the sisters in some of the illustrations because part of what was so fun about watching them is how different they are. (That said, this book ends with them playing each other as if that was a thing of joy and it... usually really wasn't. I get it thematically, but.)

[Ember Air · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a wonderful mini-biography of the Williams sisters. The illustrations are eye-grabbing and the story heart-warming. While the goal of this book seems to be to tell the stories of Venus and Serena's lives - the message that I got out of it was to never give up. That bad things always happen, sometimes without warning, and sometimes to the best people you know, but you have to keep pushing forward. It was very inspiring.

[Hannah Dull · Rating 5 out of 5]

Genre: biography
Grade level: P-3

I absolutely LOVED this book!!! This is at the top of my “books I will purchase” list. There’s so many different layers to this AND it’s all true. I love the bond of the sisters. I love their determination. I love the window into their life growing up. They grew up in a neighborhood that is different than mine, and I just really appreciate being able to see that. The illustrations were beautiful.

[Nadia L. Hohn · Rating 4 out of 5]

What gorgeous illustrations! So rich and dark. The images are powerful and strong. I also love the use of alliteration and onomatopoeia. I felt like I was on the tennis court. I also appreciated seeing the gorgeous hairstyles and outfits, seeing the father encourage his daughters, and how the family and community worked together to produce these tennis champions as their trophies piled up.

[Judy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Classroom uses:
“Cocoon of concentration”
Using dialogue to add detail, character/setting changes. Biography. Use of coping skills in different ways. Setback and regrowth. Community- art depiction and inference.
Race discussion- cover image.
Author’s message/theme

Discuss this author bias/authenticity and multi-cultural subject matter. Would anything be different if the author had been Black?

[Amy · Rating 4 out of 5]

I loved this introduction to the amazing Williams sisters and the glimpse into their personal relationship as well as their journey to world-class tennis players. My 7-year old African-American daughter was able to read it on her own and poured over the illustrations. She loved the book as did I. This is a great introduction, especially for younger readers.

[Emmy Kirkham · Rating 5 out of 5]

Genre: Biography
Grade Level: K-2

I love learning about the Williams' sisters and I thought this book did a great job showing their background and how they got to where they are now. I liked the sister dynamic shown in this story because it focused on their good relationship, rather than competition and their career. I thought it was a great take on their lives.

[Joy Day · Rating 5 out of 5]

This story talks about how Serena and Venus Williams became interested and started playing tennis in their rough neighborhood. It talks about how the girls were able to become ever closer while doing tournaments and learning together every single day. It is a really sweet book about the importance of siblings.

[Turrean · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love Jeanette Winter’s biographies. This one is stellar. With the unwavering support of their families, and their love for one another, the Williams sisters deal with grueling training, neighborhood crime and vandalism, and health issues in their rise to sports stardom.

[Kelly Jahng · Rating 4 out of 5]

An inspiring story with beautiful illustrations. I didn’t know much about the Williams sisters’ background, and this was very interesting. The storyline was simple- I would have liked to learn a little more about the family. But it was a very sweet book.

[Marilyn · Rating 5 out of 5]

“But the sisters concentrate. Not hearing the BOOS, they keep on winning.” What a wonderful lesson - concentrate on what you want - ignore the rest.

I didn’t know that Venus was ill and weak and that Serena had a blood clot in her lungs.

[Tracie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Tells the story of Venus and Serena Williams, their persistence, love for each other and how they became tennis greats.

[Beth · Rating 3 out of 5]

Excellent biography of Venus & Serena Williams in picture book format.

[Jennifer · Rating 4 out of 5]

Lovely brief picture book biography about the Williams sisters. Authors note or additional back matter would have bumped this up to five stars.

[Raven Black · Rating 3 out of 5]

Simple, poetic book about the Williams sisters. Not a lot of background, but enough to move the story on. Winter's signature style.

[Cass · Rating 3 out of 5]

This wasn't the best writing ever but I loved the story it told. Great for a read aloud with all of tennis sounds. Very inspirational. Love how it emphasized their relationship over any competition.