Who knew that the sport of tennis could inspire a bedtime adventure?
That would be Marissa Irvin Gould, mother of three, elementary school teacher, and a former professional tennis player on the WTA tour. She’s also the author of A Magical Racquet Ride: Journey to the Four Grand Slam Tournaments of Tennis, a new children’s book designed to teach kids about the history of tennis, as well as some of the terms and the fun of playing this sport.
The story focus on Nick and Molly, twins who receive tennis racquets on their eighth birthday. Both are so excited, they sleep with the racquets that very night—which is exactly something my 8-year-old would do. (This has caused us to lose quite a few Lego bricks and other items to the crevice between the wall and the bed, by the way.)
However, once the two fall asleep, they are whisked away, as those magical racquets take them on a journey to the four Grand Slam tournaments—something Gould knows a lot about, as a former competitor.
A Magical Racquet Ride has cute illustrations by Mark Brayer and a rhyme-y flow to it. I think it could have rhymed a bit better in some spots, but my son didn’t seem to care all that much. In fact, he was very interested in the tennis terms, as well as the whole adventure. What fun it would be to fall asleep and visit New York City for the U.S. Open, London for Wimbledon, Paris for the French Open, and Melbourne for the Australian Open. That sounds like a few of my dreams, too.
It would have been nice to have a glossary at the back of the book for reviewing some of the tennis terms featured. However, all of those words do appear in italics throughout the book, so you won’t miss any of them. Also, it’s great that the book touches upon some traditions (mmm… strawberries and cream), as well as a few tourist attractions in each area.
A Magical Racquet Ride: Journey to the Four Grand Slam Tournaments of Tennis is a great book for your budding tennis pro or any other child looking to take a little adventure right before bedtime.
GeekMom received this item for review purposes.
