Lafayette Mom & Tennis Star Pens Kids' Book 'A Magical Racquet Ride'

Lafayette resident Marissa Irvin Gould, who loves educating children and also happens to be a former professional tennis player who competed in all four Grand Slam tournaments, has combined her two passions in an adventure-filled story that brings to life the magic of tennis in the new book A Magical Racquet Ride: Journey to the Four Grand Slam Tournaments of Tennis.

This beautifully illustrated picture book will inspire an interest in the sport of tennis, encourage kids to want to go outside and play, and show children major international monuments in some of the most spectacular cities on Earth.

In A Magical Racquet Ride, twins Nick and Molly receive tennis racquets for their eighth birthday.

When they fall asleep holding their racquets, an ordinary night becomes extraordinary as they wake up flying through the sky.

As they travel on their magical racquets to the four Grand Slam events they learn a lot about tennis, a little geography and have tons of fun. But when they wake up, they wonder if it all really happened or if it was only a dream.

“I wanted to show children that tennis can take you anywhere,” says Gould. “I was able to experience the magic of tennis first-hand and I wanted to share it with others. Tennis is special because it is played all over the world, on different surfaces, has different championships and is played by people of all ages.”

A Magical Racquet Ride will inspire children and teach them:
 Sports are fun for both boys and girls
 The world-wide appeal of tennis
 Basic tennis terms and rules
 The Grand Slam events and the unique qualities of each

Gould, who now resides in Lafayette, is a California native, mother of three, elementary school teacher and a former professional tennis player on the WTA tour.

During her tennis career, she competed in 22 Grand Slam events and notched wins over players who reached number one in the world including Justine Henin, Anastasia Myskina, Dinara Safina and Aranxta Sanchez-Vicario.

She holds a BA in Political Science from Stanford University where she was also an NCAA Champion, PAC-10 Champion, Four-Time All-American, Academic All-American, and the winner of the Honda Award for the Nation’s top female collegiate athlete in her sport.

Following her tennis career, Marissa decided to turn her attention to her other passions, children and education. She earned a Master’s degree in Education from Pepperdine University and earned California Teaching Credentials. As an educator, she has taught kindergarten and third grade.

For more information visit: www.amagicalracquetride.com or www.facebook.com/amagicalracquetride

A Magical Racquet Ride is available here on Amazon.