Play Like a Girl

Ages 8 And Up

A collection of black-and-white and color images of girls’ and women soccer players, across a broad spectrum of age and skill from those just learning to kick a ball to the athletes who represented the United States on the 2019 World Cup championship team—from the New York Times bestselling author of The Heart of a Boy and Strong Is the New Pretty. Chapters are organized around life lessons derived from the game of soccer and include quotations from each of the subjects photographed.

Life lessons from the soccer field, from the bestselling author of Strong is the New Pretty.

A bruised shin, a bloody nose. Racing across the field into the arms of your teammates. Leaping high to save a goal. Getting up at dawn to kick ball after ball into the net. Making friends for life. Teaching your younger sister how to dribble. Sharing cupcakes at practice on your birthday. Going to sleep in your jersey. That’s what it means to be fearless, dedicated, confident, resilient, proud, persistent. It doesn’t matter whether you’re 3 or 63––that’s what it means to play like a girl.

“Kate T. Parker is my hero. She moves me. The whole world she has created moves me.”––Drew Barrymore

About the Author

Kate T. Parker is a mother, wife, former collegiate soccer player, Ironman, and professional photographer who shoots both fine art projects and commercial work for clients across North America. Her Strong Is the New Pretty photo series has led to collaborations with brands like Athleta, Kellogg's, Oxygen, and Girls on the Run. The project has also inspired Kate to launch a philanthropic arm of Strong Is the New Pretty, partnering with organizations that invest in girls' health and education. When she's not photographing, she can be found coaching her daughters' soccer teams. She lives with her family in Atlanta, Georgia.