Mini Reviews Summer

Here are my reviews of three books in the Little People BIG DREAMS series

J R R Tolkien by Mª Isabel Sánchez Vegara 

cover255382-medium Synopsis: “In this book from the highly acclaimed Little People, BIG DREAMS series, discover the incredible life of J. R. R. Tolkien, author and forefather of the fantasy genre. Little John experienced lots of change in his life from a young age. Moving from South Africa to a big city in England, he longed for the nature he grew up around. After the death of both of his parents, John found comfort in telling stories and building imaginary worlds with his friends. And he continued to tell stories for the rest of his life, creating epic tales of hobbits, dwarves, elves, and wizards as J. R. R. Tolkien. This inspiring book features stylish and quirky illustrations and extra facts at the back, including a biographical timeline with historical photos and a detailed profile of the writer’s life.”

My Review

This is a fab picture book all about the life of J. R. R. Tolkien the author of The Hobbit and the The Lord of the Rings trilogy. I don’t read fantasy so didn’t know much about the author apart from the fact he was friends with C. S Lewis. I learnt a lot about him, including the fact that he was born in South Africa, and was orphaned as a child, so his friendships were very important to him. I loved the illustrations in this book and really do recommend it for younger children.

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Elvis Presley by Mª Isabel Sánchez Vegara

cover256180-mediumFrom Goodreads: “In this book from the critically acclaimed, multimillion-copy best-selling Little People, BIG DREAMS series, discover the life of Elvis, the King of Rock ‘n’ Roll.
Elvis was born into poverty in North Mississippi, a place where opportunities were a rare thing to see. Still, he felt that someday, somehow, something amazing would happen. When he sang in a school talent show, he realized that singing was all he wanted to do with his life.
He had just finished high school when he plucked up the courage and walked through the doors of Sun Studios, ready to record his first song. After this came hit after hit, and he popularized a new genre of music that mixed all kinds of different styles. That genre was Rock ‘n’ Roll, and it would take the world by storm!
All the great artists that came after him still look up to little Elvis, the King of Rock ‘n’ Roll, the unique and irreplaceable artist who changed the course of music history. This inspiring book features stylish and quirky illustrations and extra facts at the back, including a biographical timeline with historical photos and a detailed profile of the music legend’s life.“

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My Review

I loved this wonderful picture book about the life of Elvis! I learnt a lot from this small book and having seen the new Elvis biopic I think this would be a brilliant companion book to share with young children, about Elvis’ life from young boy, to the King of Rock’n’roll. I enjoyed the simple artwork that accompanied his story and highly recommend it!

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Freddie Mercury by Mª Isabel Sánchez Vegara

cover277041-medium“In this book from the critically acclaimed, multimillion-copy best-selling Little People, BIG DREAMS series, discover the life of Freddie Mercury, the trailblazing musician who rocked the world! Born on the tiny island on Zanzibar off the coast of modern-day Tanzania, young Farrokh dreamt of having a fabulous life. When his parents sent him to boarding school in India, he discovered his true talent for singing, as well as a love of playing rock ‘n’ roll songs on the piano. By the time he finished school, Farrokh knew he wanted to be a musician. After moving to London, he became the singer of a rock band called Queen … and the rest is history! Freddie became the biggest glam-rock star ever, touring the world and charming the world with his exuberant zest for life. This moving book features stylish and quirky illustrations and extra facts at the back, including a biographical timeline with historical photos and a detailed profile of the musician’s life.”

My Review

Freddie Mercury was an amazing singer and the original frontman of the band Queen. I must admit that I didn’t really learn much from this book, as I’ve enjoyed Freddie’s voice and Queen’s music for a long time, and enjoyed documentaries and the Bohemian Rhapsody film a few years ago. I enjoyed the illustrations and I’m sure families who don’t really know about his life will learn lots about him.

Thanks so much to NetGalley and Frances Lincoln Children’s Books for my digital copies of the books via the NetGalley app.