A–Z of Who I Could Be (Chloe Dalton, illus Kim Siew, A&U)

A–Z of Who I Could Be showcases 26 Australian top-performing female and non-binary athletes across 26 different sports. Chloe Dalton presents us with the likes of Ash Barty, Nova Peris, Ellie Cole and Caitlin Foord, all esteemed and accomplished individuals. These are world champions, Paralympians and Olympians. Dalton herself is one of Australia’s few triple sport elite athletes (basketball, rugby, Aussie rules football) and the founder of The [Female] Athlete Project. Children can explore the pages of this book and wander through a diverse hall of fame that reflects our country. I appreciated that this book doesn’t just offer the typical individuals and household names we might expect but reminds us of how varied Australia’s roster of female and non-binary athletes is—and shines a spotlight on those who always deserve media attention but may not have received it. Furthermore, a strength of the book is that the focus is not on the gender of these top-tier athletes but on their achievements. At its core, A–Z of Who I Could Be is a brilliant book with beautiful illustrations by Kim Siew (Fierce Girls) that will surely capture young readers’ hearts, imaginations, hopes and dreams.

Books+Publishing reviewer: Bohdi Byles is a queer, Indigenous freelance reviewer with a background in bookselling, library work, publishing, and writing. Books+Publishing is Australia’s number-one source of pre-publication book reviews.

Category: Reviews