First-time author Shay Bloom has published Dear Little Tennis Ace, a picture book for children aged 4 to 8 that uses tennis-themed puns to deliver positive affirmations. The book, part of the new Dear Little You series, emphasizes love, courage, and kindness through diverse characters. Released in October 2025, it is available on Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and dearlittleyoubooks.com.
Shay Bloom, a Chicago-based debut children's book author, introduces Dear Little Tennis Ace as the first title in the Dear Little You series. Published in October 2025, the book targets young readers aged 4 to 8 and retails for $22.99. It combines playful tennis vocabulary with affirmations to foster confidence, resilience, and self-love, such as "You are a match winner."
Bloom, who created the series to nurture social-emotional learning, drew inspiration from tennis's language of strength and strategy. "I wanted to create a book that feels fun and sporty on the surface, but carries a deeper message every child needs to hear," Bloom said. "Tennis gave me the perfect language for that — the sport is full of words about strength, strategy, and winning, and those translate beautifully into affirmations for young kids."
A key feature is its commitment to diversity, featuring a rotating cast of children from varied backgrounds and skin tones, ensuring broad representation. "Representation matters deeply to me," Bloom added. "Every child who picks up this book should feel like it was written for them. No one child is the hero — every child is."
Unlike typical tennis books for kids that focus on rules or biographies, this one integrates sport with affirmation-based content, making it suitable for parents, educators, and coaches. It serves as an inspirational gift for birthdays or junior tennis programs.
Bloom envisions expanding the series to cover sports like soccer and basketball, as well as hobbies such as coding and dancing. "Every kid deserves to see their passion reflected in the books they read," she said. "Whether your child loves tennis or coding, the dance floor or the soccer field, I want them to open a Dear Little You book and hear the words: this one is for you."
