Billie Jean King

Billie Jean King; another female star of tennis to find themselves in this wonderful series: little people, big dreams. Born into a sports loving and participating family, she liked nothing better than to be running around and competing. She had natural hand eye co-ordination and found herself a big hitter in junior softball. Realism ,was a factor in her advancement, since beyond their young mixed teams the game progressed to only boys and men competitions. Along the way she found tennis. Saving up to buy a decent racquet and sought out free lessons from a professional tennis coach.
She rapidly became the best and found her way into pursuing a career in competitive tennis. She had ambition and a desire to be the best. Her dedication in sport also taught her valuable lifeskills and would enable her to reach the very top in her sport.
In the process she challenged and changed the perceived structures where gender counted against women in areas like obtaining a college scholarship, general opportunity and equality in prize money.
She lived out her beliefs and like her sporting ambitions which she achieved Billie Jean King spoke up and made possible a more equal playing field, or tennis court for women.
A tennis hero of mine watching Wimbledon, but a champion across all she did, to ensure she not only found the means to play tennis but that others in later years would have less obsticles, discrimination and unfair systems to overcome.

I truly enjoy this series of biographies for kids. This particular book introduces us to Billie Jean King, world famous tennis player and activist. I enjoyed the snippets of information about her life and what she’s done for women’s tennis. I believe this is a wonderful addition to this series. I was given this ARC from NetGalley in return for an honest review.

Billie Jean King by Maria Isabel Sanchez Vegara is another stellar addition to the Little People BIG DREAMS series. This time, we explore the life of Billie Jean King, the tennis legend who made tremendous strides in advancing the equal rights of women in sport. As per usual, the author provides a condensed, yet thorough, account of a figure in history who will surely spark interest in even the youngest of readers.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Quarto Publishing Group - Frances Lincoln Childrens for the opportunity to read this ARC.

Once again a cute short book about an absolute icon who stood up for equal rights. I also enjoyed the art style that was chosen for this story. This entire book series is a small blessing to this world and I am going to buy more of them in the future.

This is another one in the stories of famous people for the very young. And as usual, the author does a great job. The story is easy to follow, and explains the sexism very well. I remember the Billie Jean tournament. Hard to believe it was that long ago.

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So glad these books are out there, and I love how varied the women written about are.

Thanks to Netgalley for making this book available for an honest review.

Another classic Maria Isabel Sanchez Vegara book, inspiring little people with the stories of great people, I really think schools and libraries should stock these so little ones can be inspired early as possible, beautifully illustrated and captivating

Thanks to netgalley and the publisher for a free copy for an honest opinion

This series is always a joy to read, it’s a really nice introduction to well known people for little children. Of course the plot is always a little bit fast but that’s to be expected and it’s totally understandable.
As a fan of tennis, I already knew quite a bit about Billie Jean King, but it was still nice and fun to read about her life in this new story. She did a lot for women in sports and equality and I'm happy to see that she was included in the Little People, Big Dreams series. I believe she's a great example for children.

I love this series so much! Another great addition to introduce young learners to Billie Jean King! I recommend this and other books in this series!

One of the best Little People, Big Dreams books that I have encountered since I started reading the series. This book for children provided tons of information about King throughout its pages, and the reader could understand her transition from tennis player to activist without question.

4.5/5 Great read to make kids familiar to word equity

<i>Little People, Big Dreams</i> is a series of short books for children about extraordinary people who change the way we're looking at the world. It's an enjoyable piece of non-fiction kids' literature to savor along with your tiny humans. I love biographies of people who dared to be different, and these short books are becoming one of my favorites.

I'm not an art-savvy person, so please forgive me to call this graphic style childish but I mean it in a good way only. Every page spontaneously puts a smile on my face because the illustrations remind me of all my favorite books from childhood I read with my mum.

The book <i>Billie Jean King</i> is significantly longer than <i>David Bowie</i>'s book I read before. Therefore it's more appropriate for 1–2G readers or read-along with parents for younger ones (but honestly, I read it myself alone, no shame here!). I prefer it to be longer, hence more informative and compelling.

Billie Jean King first was a little girl who really loved sports and then her lifelong passion made her one of the most famous American tennis players. The story touches so important issues like sex equity, women's rights, and LGBTQ+ movement in an easy, comprehensive for children way.
I learned a lot here, and so my son. We both loved that book.

<i>The ARC of this book was provided by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.</i>

The ARC of this book was provided by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

The ‘My First Little People, Big Dreams’ series provides informative and inspirational biographies about people who left a mark on this earth, no matter what difficulties they have encountered.
These stories are very short, but that’s because they’re books for children, so it’s totally understandable.
I think they are a very smart and wonderful way to introduce little children to such important figures.
This little one here is about Billie Jean King, one of the most successful women in sports history. I have to admit I'm a bit of an ignorant when talking about tennis, so I knew very little about her life. Therefore, I was really curious to discover more about her achievements and battles. I think she's a very inspiring figure for kids, because her experience teaches them how important breaking barriers is.

I still love this board series and I like how it talks about people in sports as well. Billie Jean King was a pioneer for girls in sports when she decided to break barriers and play tennis the way it was meant to be played. She broke barriers by wearing shorts instead of skirts and played against a guy during the Battle of the Sexes.

My daughter got a huge kick out of this book. It was simple enough for her to read with a bit of awesome girl power to be inspired from. LOVE IT!

I'm really enjoying all the books in this series and this was no exception. I loved learning things I didn't know about Billie Jean King.

Ironically, I'm reading a cute little book about a strong women around International Women's Day! Not on purpose, but still totally amusing.

Billie Jean King by Maria Isabel Sanchez Vegara is a lovely little tale about the amazing tennis player Billie Jean King. We get to see her amazing story of working hard to achieve her goals to be the best tennis player she could be! She wore shorts instead of skirts, saved up her own money to buy her own supplies and worked her butt off! She won awards for her hard work, started community organizations and was just all around awesome!

My pros:
1. The pictures are soft, full of colour and memorable. I really liked how they stood out and complimented the story.

2. This book was easy to read but had strong enough language that a few age groups could easily find this book enjoyable. On top of that, I'm sure many adults can be sent into flashbacks about The Battle of the Sexes tournament that happened in the Tennis World!

3. We get to see a little girl who worked hard (gardened and did housework) to save up her money to get her first tennis racquet! Isn't it great we get to share with the kids some hard working kids books?!

4. The tennis outfits are rocking!

My cons:
1. Sometimes the soft lines of the illustrations felt like they blurred a bit, but that could be because I was on an e-reader.

Overall, this book is an absolute delight and I'd highly recommend it! Who doesn't want to watch an awesome woman do awesome things? Let's show our kids hard work pays off! Also, I would love to read the many other parts of this collection about all of the other cool people (women and men alike) who are apart of this series!

Five out of five stars!

Thank you to NetGalley and Quarto Publishing Group for this amazing opportunity to pick up this lovely book!

Beautiful, inspiring book for children about tennis legend, Billie Jean King! I loved the colorful illustrations and the author does a great job of succinctly summarizing King's life and impact in tennis and gender equality. This book will be great for all kids, but especially ones interested in playing sports. This book is best for readers, age 4-7.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing a copy of this ARC.

A worthy addition to the series

Another wonderful and inspiring addition to the "Little People Big Dreams" Series. As the books in this series are hit or miss sometimes, I am glad to see this one is one of the "hits"! Billie Jean King was a wonderful tennis player and important women’s and LGBT rights activist. Her story is definitely one to be told and can serve to inspire children (and adults) to follow their dreams and not give up. The book is beautifully illustrated and captivating. One of the better ones of this series!

I learned a lot about this tennis player and her achievements with paving the way for female athletes. I am ready to watch the movie, now. Thanks for the review copy.

An excellent piece about an important figure in women's history. Gender inequality is handled gently, but even the youngest readers will understand the injustice and the significance of King's legacy.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an advance electronic copy in exchange for my honest review.

The Little People, Big Dreams series is one of my favorites! It's a great way to introduce young readers to some truly amazing people. The illustrations are always on point and the text is simple yet powerful. Highly recommend!

This is another great book to add to the Little People, Big Dreams collection and his book focusses on Billie Jean King!

I love this series as they are perfect introductions to young people about some of the most famous and influential people from our past and present and are also a reminder about how these people have also changed our history.

5 stars from me for this one, very highly recommended and can't wait for my daughter to get involved in the series

Love this little people, big dream series. I know a little bit about Billie Jean but this book showed how she has been working for equal pay for women in tennis and sports scholarships for women. Very cute drawings. loe the one with five of her in different poses playing tennis.

This is such a cute series – I don't love them all but there are far more hits than misses. This one is definitely a hit for me. The artwork is cute, the story is inspiring, and the text gives a great overview of Billie Jean King's work. This would be a great story to read to any aspiring sports star.

I have to admid that I didn't even know who Billie Jean King is as I requested this title. I had so much fun with the little people, big dreams series by Isabel Sánchez Vegara in the past, that I just roll with it. So yeah, this series aimed at toddlers can teach an university student. It helps that after the story as such, there always is a timeline with a short breakdown of this persons life and achievements.

Now that I read this book I can tell you that Billie Jean King loved sports but had problems finding one where she wouldn't be discriminated against because of having the wrong genitals, only to discover after a while that people ignored her when she wore trousers instead of a skirt, and much later, that there was this huge payment gap.

Beautiful pictures telling an interesting story.
I recieved a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I received an advanced reader copy of this book to read in exchange for an honest review via netgalley and the publishers.

This is yet another fantastic installment in the Little People, Big Dreams series. I cannot praise this series enough! These books teach children they can be whoever or whatever they want and if they have a dream, to hold onto it and keep at it as dreams can come true.
This book is about a female tennis star and how her dream and fight for change came true. Such an inspirational book, especially for tennis or other sport lovers.

Billie Jean King is a picture book biography, which takes the reader into her childhood love of baseball and realization that as a girl she could not play past childhood. She loved to run and hit, so she explored different sports and found tennis. She knew she could play with boys and girls and upon meeting her future coach at a free lesson, she changed the world of sports for women, as she excelled in the sport of tennis. Her determination opened opportunities for scholarships to colleges for young women. At the end of the illustrations, we meet the real Billie Jean King through photographs and informational text. I love biographies written for kids. Highly recommend not only this book, but the others in the series! #NetGalley #Billiejeanking #Hottingerhighlights #nonfictionpicturebook #picturebookbiography #womensequality #womeninsports

This was a cute little biography of Billie Jean King. I didn't know much about her before reading this book, so this was really interesting to read. I do wish that there was a bit more clarity about some things, but I'm not sure that the things that bugged me would bother anyone in the intended age range. This was really cute and I can't wait to read more in this collection of books!

This book was a wonderful contribution to the series. I learned a lot about Billie Jean. Great book for empowering girls, highly recommend.

In pictoral form the inspirational story who showed that women can win the battle of the sexes. Billie Jean King is an hero to many young people and its important her story is told to children in a truthful and sensitive way. This is a beautifully illustrated book suitable for all children. I can't wait to see who is featured next in this series.

An amazing addition to my classroom collection! A great little biography about one of the most interesting athletes in history.

I absolutely adore this series, especially the ones about women. It´s interesting to read history about women even though its meant for kids I always learn something while reading those with my sister. This one is my favorite at the moment probably because I knew nothing of Billie Jean King before tonight.

The Little People, Big Dreams series is consistent...the books are always engaging and inspiring.  They provide an ideal way for children to learn about the lives of people who have made a difference.  This entry is sport themed and could stand beside an earlier title on tennis legend, Yvonne Goolagong.  Each woman scaled unbelievable heights in becoming a great tennis player.


Children reading will see Billie Jean fall in love with tennis and win many championships.  But Billie Jean did more than that, she advocated for women in sports, fought for sports scholarships for girls and even in a famous match showed that she could defeat a male player.


The illustrations in this book are so engaging and adorable.  I just loved looking at Billie Jean in each one.  They add to the quality of the reader's experience.


Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for another winning entry in a winning series.  All opinions are my own.

An admirable addition to one of my favorite children's biographical books! My grade 1 students just adore this series and they basically memorize the stories!

Billie Jean King by Maria Isabel Sánchez Vegara is another wonderful book in the Little People, Big Dreams series. Billie Jean is an inspiring woman who became a champion tennis player back when gender equality in the sporting world was basically non-existent. This book has lovely illustrations and contains important snippets of Billie Jeans life. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for my digital copy.

Billie Jean King is the newest to be spotlighted in this latest edition of the Little People, BIG DREAMS series by Maria Isabel Sanchez Vegara. This series is such a delight and the perfect way to educate not just kids but everyone about historic and cultural icons.

Billie Jean King's aim of trying to provide equality for women in sports is so noble a cause and inspirational. This book highlights King's 'Battle of the Sexes' match against Bobby Riggs and her personal battle of not wanting to conform with societal norms when she doesn't want to wear a skirt playing tennis.

Miranda Sofroniou illustrates this installment and does an fantastic job.While Sofroiou's art style was not my favorite compared to past installments, I did appreciate how her art further helped tell King's story. I love collecting these books and am so thrilled to add this one to the rest of my collection.

An adorable and insightful look into the life and career of Billie Jean King, very interesting to read and good for all ages and audiences.

Thank you to NetGalley for sending me this book in exchange for an honest review.

Billie Jean King is a new biography for young readers in the Little People, Big Dreams series. I've reviewed a number of these titles and all of them are delightful and exuberant little books which cover the lives of famous cultural, science, arts, and innovative icons while maintaining an age-appropriate level of detail. Due out 5th May 2020 from Quarto on their Frances Lincoln imprint, it'll be 32 pages and will be available in hardcover format.

The text by Isabel Sánchez Vegara is well written in clear accessible language. The colorful and appealing illustrations were well done. The art by Miranda Sofroniou supports the text very well. The illustrations are rich in small subtle details which bear a closer look and many of them mirror real life publicity photos from the time.

Well written and appealing, I am really enjoying all of these little books. This one is a worthy addition.

Five stars. This would make a superlative reading circle book, classroom library book, or gift. Ms. King is an intelligent and accomplished woman and advocate and this book is a nice tribute to an iconic athlete.

Disclosure: I received an ARC at no cost from the author/publisher for review purposes

New in the Little People, Big Dreams series, discover the amazing life of Billie Jean King. As anyone who reads my reviews knows, I love this series and look forward to each new book as they are published. This is the story about the amazing tennis player Billie Jean King. Billie Jean was not raised in a wealthy family as most of the tennis players of the day were. Yet, in this book, we see her working hard to achieve her goals to be the best tennis player she could be. She wore shorts instead of skirts, had to work and save her own money to buy equipment and worked hard to prove she was good and deserved to be on the courts. I remember a lot about her tennis career, but this was a great way to learn a bit about her young life. She did a lot for women in sports and equality. The illustrations were once again a delight and fit in nicely with the content of the book. Loving this series as I do, I was happy to see Billie Jean King included in the Little People, Big Dreams series. I believe she's a great example for children.

Billie Jean King is a hero not just to tennis players, but also to the LGBTQ community. I am glad this book does not shy away from King's sexuality, even if the mention is very subtle. Another fantastic addition to the Little People, Big Dreams series!

Short and cute book with beautiful illustrations, and I’m sure it will be very inspiring to young readers.