Lottie the Little Wonder
For ages 5+
A brilliant ode to one of the most AWESOME sportswomen in UK Women's History!! Tennis anyone?
By Katherine Woodfine, illustrated by Ella Okstad
This is the 4th in a super Little Gems early reader series re-imagining Women's history, and for her latest ode, bestselling author - Katherine Woodfine (Sinclair's Mysteries, Taylor & Rose Secret Agent series) has partnered with outstanding illustrator Ella Okstad (Squishy McFlluff, Call the Puffins, The Drama Llama) to raise awareness of one of the UK's most super-heroic of sportswomen: Charlotte ‘Lottie the Little Wonder’ Dod (b.1871 - d.1960 aged 88).
I admit, I hadn't heard of Lottie at all! I've been to Wimbledon, I moved in tennis circles once upon a time… however, I'm ashamed to say I wasn't aware of Lottie's achievements in championship tennis, let alone in the other sports she achieved Olympic medal winning status for. Tsk tsk. Thank goodness for publishing with a conscience in the 21st century and the surge of Children's literature empowering our young girls, and raising awareness of the achievements of Women across all genders of any age.
The Barrington Stoke (publisher) Little Gems series for early readers are superb to collect - they're a smaller size for smaller hands, feature full page full colour illustrations, activities, facts and more depending on the title. They're also slightly cheaper chapter books than the average, which is a blessing in itself these days! I'm always keen to read pretty much anything from this publisher, as they only work with well-established authors and illustrators. They specialise in producing books in dyslexia-friendly formats - larger text size, bigger line/paragraph spacing, accessible font, non-white paper colour. Little Gems are great first chapter books.
The author retells Lottie's story with a delightful narrative. The reader is given a little background to Lottie's early life in the 1870s, her father died after she was born, she is the youngest (and smallest) of 4 siblings and lives in a grand house with their mother, homeschooled and used to a life of privilege. It was when she was a little girl that lawn tennis became a new craze and their family had a court set up in the gardens. Soon all the children were playing together, loving this new sport. Was this a sport for girls though? Her Mother gave her some great advice: “Girls can’t play tennis as well as boys? What a load of nonsense!…You can do anything you want if you set your mind to it.” Go Mrs Dod!!
After sneaking out to play in a tournament in Manchester, and coming 2nd place, her mum and siblings finally had to accept that their Lottie was a superstar in the making! The story concludes with her first win at Wimbledon at the age of 15 (in 1887) wearing her simple and practical sportswear (dress and cap), unlike her opponents who might have been mistaken for taking a wrong turn not the way to a Victorian era London Fashion Week event! This was by no means the end of Lottie the Little Wonder's sporting adventures, as Katherine Woodfine tells readers in the brief ‘About the Real Lottie Dod’ chapter at the end of the book. Katherine also takes the opportunity in this section to highlight in an age-appropriate way, that Lottie was born into a family who lived a life of privilege, and that her father was one of the Liverpool ‘cotton lords’ who had become wealthy as a result of the American slave trade. I would have loved to have seen a couple of photos of the IRL Lottie at the end of the book - and it's always good for children to have a visual reference to an actual photograph or event. Bravo for this joyful, educational and insightful children's book celebrating Women's history in the UK!
[Ad - review copy sent from the publisher]
PRAISE
"When she’s told that girls can’t play tennis as well as boys, Charlotte ‘Lottie’ Dod proves otherwise, in a lively account of the real-life tennis star who won the 1887 Wimbledon Ladies’ Singles at 15. A dauntless, inspiring little story" – The Guardian
"An action-filled, heartfelt … celebration of a determined and daring girl from a small northern town will provide both entertainment and empowerment, and with Ella Okstad’s gallery of vibrant and energetic illustrations bringing the action to life, this is the perfect victory parade for sporting superstar Lottie!" – Lancashire Post
Download a FREE official Lottie the Little Wonder wordsearch activity PDF teaching resource.
Further reading
Wimbledon’s History
Wikipedia - Lottie Dodd
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lottie_Dod
Article in The Telegraph
Reviewed final review copy sent by the publisher.
