Little People, Big Dreams is a brilliant series of books published by Lincoln Children’s Books part of the Quarto group. The books have been written specifically for young children to understand the lives and to celebrate successful individuals who are all female. The books are a great introduction to biographical writing specifically for young readers.
There are many titles to choose from now including Amelia Earhart, Maya Angelou and upcoming titles include Anne Frank and Mother Teresa.
Little People, Big Dreams Rosa Parks.
Little People, Big Dreams Rosa Parks is written by Lisbeth Kaiser and illustrated by Marta Antelo. Discussing prejudice and discrimination can be a difficult topic to discuss with young children but sadly this is still going on in the world around us and I personally feel it is important to have these discussions. Rosa Parks grew up in a time when there was such a divide between people based on the colour of the skin and the shocking thing is that it really wasn’t that long ago.
Rosa Parks was a strong individual who was an American activist and believed that we should all be treated equally regardless of whether we were “coloured.” Lisbeth Kaiser has effectively written about how Rosa Parks actions led to change. Rosa Parks was tired of listening to rules and the day she sat at the front of the bus which was deemed an area for white skinned people was the day that eventually brought about change. Rosa Parks was jailed for her actions but did not deter her but made her stronger.
The text writing is simply written for young readers but does not talk down to children. Marta Antelo’s illustrations are brilliant filled with detail and capture the tastes and style of the 1950s and onwards so well. This book really is a must have for all learning settings. To see more of this book or to purchase head to Amazon.
Little People, Big Dreams Marie Curie.
Little People, Big Dreams by Isabel Sanchez Vegara and illustrated by Frau Isa. My eldest daughter and I had previously had conversations about Marie Curie as we have donated things to the Marie Curie charity before and this had led me to talk about how she was a great scientist so I was intrigued how she would react to learning more about Marie Curie’s life.
The opening page to Marie Curie is so memorable “When Marie was a little girl, she made a vow to herself…she was going to be a scientist, not a princess.” This sentence alone is just so powerful as it reflects the importance of being true to yourself and not conforming to what may be deemed as socially acceptable for females.
You learn so much about Marie Curie in this book, her determination to study, the discoveries she made in science and the sadness in her life she experienced losing her husband. I feel that the writing and illustrations really compliment each other in this book and the artwork really represents Marie Curie’s emotions. I do feel that the book would have benefitted from a glossary however, it is a great book from the series representing women in a career that has been so male dominated. To see more or to purchase this book head to Amazon.
This month in June three more titles in the series have been published including Jane Austen. Having had a passion for reading ever since I was little which then continued to me completing an English Literature degree, I was really keen to share who Jane Austen was with my eldest but I didn’t quite realise how keen Little One would be about learning about Jane Austen’s life.
Little People, Big Dreams, Jane Austen
Little People, Big Dream Jane Austen is written by Isabel Sanchez Vegara and illustrated by Katie Wilson. The Little People, Big Dream books have such a wonderful feel to them and their covers remind me of vintage notebooks. We all adore the front cover of this book and think Katie Wilson’s illustration of Jane Austen is so warm and sweetly done.
The book gives an insight into Jane Austen’s family explaining how many siblings she had and also what life was like when she was young. Little One was shocked that girls were not allowed to attend school and this encouraged lots of conversations about life in the past and about rules. Jane Austen was a talented individual who always had a passion for writing and storytelling. Her books have proved such a success and of course much of her work has been televised and made in to films.
Little People, Big Dreams Agatha Christie
British born Agatha Christie had a passion for reading from a young age. During World War One she worked as nurse in the Red Cross Hospital in Torquay. Whist working here she learnt a great many things about medicines and poisons and it was this knowledge that inspired her to write crime novels. Her books proved very successful and went on to be translated in different languages. Agatha Christie wrote over 70 novels which included famous main characters Hercule Poirot and Miss Marple. The sketch like illustrations completed only in black, white and red complete this book so well and the book is sure to be popular with budding writers.
The text is very simply written and perfect for Little One who is approaching 4. At the end of each of the Little People and Big Dream books are also timelines of significant dates. On Jane Austen’s timeline it includes that an image of Jane Austen is on British pound notes which really is representative of how loved she is and how she continues to bring joy to many of us who continue to read her work around the world.
I’m sure you will agree that the Little People, Big Dreams is absolutely brilliant. I look forward to reading more books in the series with my girls and I am so pleased that such strong, talented women are being celebrated.
Disclaimer: The books included in this blog post were received from the publisher however, all words and opinions are entirely my own. This post also contains affiliate links.
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