Sandy, otherwise known as Unpacking the Power of Picture Books, has read and reviewed our newest narrative non-fiction picture book about the legendary, Lily Parr and her powerful team – the Dick, Kerr Ladies;
Fans of sports, biography, women’s history, and resilience are going to love a new picture book releasing in August. Trailblazer: Lily Parr- The Unstoppable Star of Women’s Football is written by Elizabeth Dale and illustrated by Carolina Coroa. If you’ve read about or seen (A League of Our Own) about American Women’s softball leagues during the Second World War, you might feel a sense of deja vu when reading about Lily’s life story.
The obstacles to women’s soccer that Britain had set in place lasted half a century, into the 1970s. Lily’s career did the same. In Lily’s long football career she set unimaginable records: for goals and assists, for power and speed, for success at many positions and spectacular plays, and for defying the expectations and limits of her time. Her amazing life unfolds through those years with lively stages and equally appealing page turns, featuring accessible text and spot inserts citing jaw-dropping statistics and accomplishments. By the conclusion, I was ready to wave a banner to give Lily the credit she deserved. You will find out if my help was needed or not on the last pages.
The final turn provides a simple timeline of Lily Parr’s life in sports, and the end papers collect and display those informative fact-circles from the interior. It is a wonderful way to celebrate and congratulate Lily’s remarkable success, not only in sport, but in blazing the trail for women in all sports, all around the world. TRAILBLAZER is yet another book that taught me important hidden history in the most appealing, engaging, and entertaining of ways.