I adore the Little People, Big Dream books which is a bestselling series that introduces young readers to inspirational people throughout history. The books demonstrate that many successful people have had to overcome challenges in their lives and work hard for their achievements. The board book versions provide even the youngest readers in our lives an opportunity to hear these incredible stories. Each book is complete with clear, bright and colourful illustrations that tell the story just as much as the words.

I thoroughly enjoy reading all the different stories in this series but could not contain my excitement to see Evonne Goolagong’s name! She is a fantastic role model for girls, Australian’s and especially Indigenous children who are often under represented in books.

Evonne is a proud Wiradjuri woman who overcame poverty and discrimination to not only win a Wimbledon title but do so as a mother, the first person to have done so in 60 years. Before she left home her mother left her with the words ‘Don’t worry about winning and losing. Just play your best and have a good time.’

This edition is a must have as part of your Little People, Big Dream series or one its own.

Thankyou to Netgalley and Quarto Publishing for a copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.

#EvonneGoolagong #NetGalley

This title is yet another wonderful entry in one of my favorite series for kids.  Each book features someone who had a dream and worked to make it come true.  In this entry, young readers learn about the childhood and accomplishments  a well-known tennis champion.


Young Evonne grew up in Australia at a time when there was prejudice against the indigenous population.  She was raised in a family of eight children where money was scarce but...one day she found a ball and her lifelong passion for tennis.


The author tells readers that Evonne was not allowed to play on the court in her community.  She stood outside to listen and learn until one day someone gave her a key so that she could practice on the court at night.


From this beginning Evonne was "discovered" by a coach and moved to Sydney.  She became a successful player who remembered her family's advice to enjoy the game.  Evonne won many championships and was the first mom to win a major tournament at Wimbledon.


The illustrations in this book are so cheerful and the story of Evonne is inspiring. I recommend adding this title to your home or school library.


Many thanks to NetGalley and the  publisher for this title in exchange for an honest review.

I just reviewed Evonne Goolagong by Maria Isabel Sanchez Vegara. #EvonneGoolagong #NetGalley

When requesting for this book, I have no clue who Evonne Goolagong is. But now I do, in a nicely illustrated book. While reading about someone's biography might be a chore, this book enables me to love it and look for more.

I received an ARC of this book courtesy of the publisher through Netgalley. This mini bio of Evonne Goolagong is my first from the Little People, Big Dreams series but it will not be my last. Despite my interest in tennis Evonne Goolagong was an individual I was not familiar with and after this little bite sized introduction someone I will be looking into further. I absolutely adored this book and I wish these books had been around when I was a child to inspire me to explore my interests and pursue my dreams. I will definitely be picking up not only this book but a few of the other ones in the series to gift to some of the children in my life based on their interests.

I love the books in this series and always find something new in them. I had heard the name Evonne Goolagong, but I didn't really know much about her at all. This book, like the rest in the series, focuses on a lady who followed her dreams and succeeded against the odds. Evonne is an indigenous Australian who was not allowed to mix with the "white" Australian children. She wanted to play tennis, so a club owner gave her the key to the tennis courts. After all the other children went home, she snuck onto the courts and developed amazing skills. She was noticed by a tennis coach and promoter and she was eventually on the women's tour, winning many tournaments, including Wimbledon. Evonne was an inspiration to many, showing passion and determination to succeed. After leaving her professional tennis days, she worked with many young Australian tennis players encouraging them to follow their dreams, especially indigenous children. The illustrations were well done and certainly would appeal to children. As I have said with other books in this series, this book should be in all school and public libraries. I love that this series can be used to teach about dreaming big, famous people that might not be well known, learning about writing a biography and as a step off for further research.

I adore these books from Little People, BIG DREAMS series, This new book is about the life of Evonne Goolagong who was an inspiring indigenous Australian tennis player.

I highly recommend this new book Evonne Goolagong by Maria Isabel Sanchez Vegara.
Come to think of it all her books. They are so adorable, colourful with lovely illustrations throughout and great for small children to learn about some of the wonderful people that were and are a part of our lives and did great things they did.

Big Thank you to NetGalley and Frances Lincoln Children's Books for the ARC provided for an honest opinion.

5★
"The day she left home, her mother gave Evonne a tennis dress made of bedsheets and some very good advice: 'Do not worry about winning or losing. Just play your best and have a lovely time.'"

I'm reading this while the Australian Open is playing on the television in front of me. Nobody is wearing tennis whites, and there are people of all colours and nationalities playing.

This is a lovely little picture book about world favourite Evonne Goolgagong, who once said she was tired of hearing her name always prefaced by "Aboriginal girl". She was born in 1951, so being Aboriginal meant she was at risk of being "stolen" or taken from her parents. These days, she would be referred to as a proud Wiradjuri woman, a far cry from back then.

The pictures are like paper doll cutouts, and everyone is round with rosy cheeks, whether they are black or white, young or old.


Evonne and her seven brothers and sisters

She found a tennis ball, so her dad made a wooden paddle to hit it with. She loved it! Then she discovered a book about a girl who went to England to play tennis.

Evonne, reading and dreaming about Wimbledon

But when she was a little girl, Aboriginal people weren't welcome in tennis clubs. [My comment: They weren't even counted in the census, couldn't vote, and couldn't own land until 1968. But I digress.]

So she stood outside the fence and listened to the coach teaching the other kids. Eventually, the manager let her play by herself after everyone had gone home.

Evonne, holding her paddle and watching the other kids play tennis

A coach from Sydney saw how good she was and invited her to live with his family. She went, remembered her mother's advice to enjoy herself, and the rest, as they say, is history!

Evonne, excited while her parents look sad to see her go

And here's the history.

Evonne takes the tennis world by storm!

The last page has some real photographs and a simple timeline of her life. This isn't one of those photos, but it shows what a sweet kid she was and the ruffled tennis dress the author used in her Wimbledon illustration.

Evonne Goolagong, 19 years old, winner of Wimbledon, 1971

She travelled the world with tennis but came home to Australia, reconnected with her heritage, and established a foundation where she helps young indigenous players get the chances she never had.

I thought I'd include a picture of two proud indigenous women, together in Cairns, Far North Queensland, where they went to surprise some young indigenous players. Ash Barty, who has Ngarigo heritage, is the current world number one women's player and has always been inspired by Evonne.

Ash Barty, current world number one, and Evonne Goolagong Cawley, champion and legend

Thanks to NetGalley and Frances Lincoln Children's books. This is another worthy addition to the Little People, BIG DREAMS series, of which I'm an unashamed fan.

This is to be published in March.

This is an excellent series. The people written about in the series aren't your run of the mill children's biography subjects. But they are all intriguing people and make for interesting reading. The illustrations are going to appeal to the kids as well. These books are a good way to broaden their horizons.

In this installment, Evonne Goolagong shows how children can grow up to become whatever they want to be as long as they put the work in

This is lovely, hinting at the horrible discrimination Evonne would have faced but letting the nicer aspects of the story take the lead. Highlighting that she won because she enjoyed her tennis and didn't let negativity into her game is a great lesson for kids. The illustrations are charming, I particularly like the galahs in the background of one of the images.

This is such a beautiful, inspirational story, and one that will enlighten and encourage many children. There’s no shying away from the struggles of Evonne’s early life, and although racism is not specifically mentioned in the text of the book, it’s clear from the illustrations that there was a race divide between Evonne and the other tennis club children as well as a financial one. A wonderful book.

This book was another good addition to the Little people, big dreams! I hadn't heard of Evonne Goolagong before so I appreciate the expansion of my important women knowledge! As always the blurbs are great and I really enjoyed the illustrations! Can't wait to read more from this series!
Thank you to netgalley and the publishers for providing me an arc for an honest review!

All because of old tennis ball, Evonne Indigenous Australian lived a big dream. With that old tennis ball, Evonne wanted to play tennis. With racism keeping her from her dream, her determination was admired from Vic Edwards, a professional tennis coach that saw her potential for much more. Her story is easily grasped and inspiration to all. She never let anything keep her from her dream and let the love of the sport move her forward. A great story to read with your kiddos.

I love the illustrations and at the end the time line of Evonne's life. Showing photos of significant times in her life makes it that more interesting where your kids can say me too.

A Special Thank you to Quartro Publishing Group and Netgalley for the ARC and the opportunity to post an honest review

I love this series! I didn't know anything about Evonne Goolagong before reading this so on top of my children learning about someone new, I did too!

Another hit from the Little People, Big Dreams series. It is so lovely when these books cover people, like Evonne Goolagong, that even I hadn't heard of. I love learning about these brave, strong, wonderful figures with my children.

What a fantastic little introduction to Evonne Goolagong. Have to admit I didn't know about her before reading this book.

I've seen quite a lot of the "little people, big dreams" series in the bookshop but hadn't had a chance to sit and read one, so it was nice to get a chance to read the story and see the cute illustrations.

Would definitely look to buy these as gifts for younger readers! I like that it has further suggestions to read to find out more about the person at the end.

**Thanks to Netgalley and the publishers for access to this book in return for an honest review.

This was a beautiful children's book telling the inspiring story of a lesser known women from history. I loved the illustrations and the style of story telling. I had never heard of this woman and really enjoyed learning her story.

Per usual the Little People, Big Dreams series hits it out of the park. I loved learning about Evonne Goolagong, who I had never heard of before and am amazed by her story and braveness.

Another great addition to Maria Vegara's book collection. Lovely illustrations as usual, anothee must have for any fans of her previous books.

I received a free digital copy through NetGalley. This series is a champ at being concise, informative, and enjoyable. They also do a great job at showcasing lesser known people along with ones that are heavily written about. .