Spring Mini Reviews 2

Here are my reviews of books in the Little People BIG DREAMS series. It’s a wonderful series that I highly recommend for younger readers!

Taylor Swift by Maria Isabel Sanchez Vegara
Illustrated by Borghild Fallberg

Taylor Swift by Maria Isabel Sanchez VegaraSynopsis: “Inspire kids with the glittering story of pop superstar Taylor Swift! This talented singer–songwriter started as a little country girl with a big dream to become a star.
 Little Taylor grew up on her family’s Christmas tree farm in Pennsylvania. Then, at age six, she went to her first concert – she saw LeAnn Rimes, the country musician. At that moment, Taylor fell in love with country music! Some of the kids at school didn’t understand but Taylor managed to shake it off!
 She took her first steps towards stardom by recording a demo of cover songs and sent it to record labels in Nashville, the home of country music. However, while, she enjoyed singing others’ songs, she knew all too well that she had to express herself in her own words. So, she started writing her own lyrics and melodies and her natural talent for putting her feelings into words shone through.
 After signing with a record label, she started working on her first album. Called ‘Taylor Swift’, it became very popular, very quickly. She earned a number one single on the country music charts.  Then, she released her second album, ‘Fearless’, which was country-pop instead of just country and suddenly, everyone knew her name. She won a Grammy for her work and started to write more and more pop music for her albums. She wrote heartfelt lyrics loved by millions around the world. Despite the obstacles in her way, Taylor has always stood up for what she believes in, and always believes in herself! This powerful book will never go out of style. It features quirky illustrations and extra facts at the back, including a biographical timeline with historical photos and a detailed profile of Taylor’s life.”

My Review

This is a another fantastic edition to this wonderful series for young children. Taylor Swift is a mega star so I enjoyed discovering more about her childhood and I loved the illustrations by Borghild Fallberg. The illustrations really made the book for me as the artist has really got Taylor Swift’s likeness perfectly. I didn’t realise that Taylor started off making Country Music, and that she’d already recorded her second album by the time she was 20! This books charts her path to success with some gorgeous illustrations and a short timeline in the back of the book.

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Stan Lee by Maria Isabel Sánchez Vegara
Illustrated by Ana Albero

cover366849-medium Synopsis: “Be inspired by the amazing life of Stan Lee, the comic book genius who created Spider-Man, The Hulk and Iron Man! Little Stan grew up in New York City. As a child, he loved reading books, poems and newspaper strips. And when he didn’t have his head in a book, he was writing stories of his own. After he graduated, Stan got his big break in the form of a job as an assistant at a small comic book publisher called Timely Comics. He started by helping the editors with their work, but before long, he was helping to write the comics. He contributed to a Captain America story but soon started to create his very own characters. From the Fantastic Four and Spider-Man to The Hulk, Stan’s superheroes were innovative and exciting. Even though they were super, they felt human, flaws and all. In the years that followed, he built a solid career at Timely Comics. With Stan’s help, Timely Comics grew to become Marvel, the multi-million-dollar corporation behind some of the most successful Hollywood films, including The Avengers, Black Panther and Ant-Man. Stan created a whole universe of connecting characters and stories which leapt off the page and into the hearts of millions of fans around the world! This powerful 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 comic book creator’s life.”

My Review

This is a fab picture book all about the life of the Comic Book writer Stan Lee. He always dreamt about writing a book, and enter a newspaper competition and worked in publishing before he ever had anything published himself. He got a chance to write some text for a Captain America story, and kept going even writing and sending stories to his publisher when he was a soldier in WW2. He came up with the Fantastic Four when working with Jack Kirby after the war and then Spiderman with Steve Ditko and of course many other superheroes that we all know and love.

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Rafa Nadal by Maria Isabel Sánchez Vegara
Illustrated by Rocio Ledesma

 Little People, Big Dreams Rafa Nadal by Maria Isabel Sánchez VegaraSynopsis: “From the critically acclaimed, multimillion-copy best-selling Little People, BIG DREAMS series, discover the incredible life of tennis star Rafa Nadal. Little Rafa was born in Majorca, Spain. Encouraged by his two uncles, he loved playing football and tennis, but found that he particularly excelled at tennis. At only fifteen years old, he became a professional! Soon, he was ranked as one of the best on the court, and at age twenty-two, he was proclaimed the number one tennis player in the whole world. Since then, Rafa has won many trophies, including twenty-two Grand Slams. His self-confidence, perseverance, and determination are the keys to his success. Today, he is considered one of the best tennis players in history. Little People, BIG DREAMS is a best-selling biography series for kids that explores the lives of outstanding people, from designers and artists to scientists and activists. All of them achieved incredible things, yet each began life as a child with a dream. This empowering series of books offers inspiring messages to children of all ages, in a range of formats. The board books are told in simple sentences, perfect for reading aloud to babies and toddlers. The hardcover and paperback versions present expanded stories for beginning readers. With rewritten text for older children, the treasuries each bring together a multitude of dreamers in a single volume. You can also collect a selection of the books by theme in boxed gift sets. Activity books and a journal provide even more ways to make the lives of these role models accessible to children. Inspire the next generation of outstanding people who will change the world with Little People, BIG DREAMS! “

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My Review

I didn’t know anything about the life of Rafa Nadal apart from playing tennis so was happy to find out more in this fab picture book for younger children. He was born on the Spanish island of Mallorca and had his first tennis lesson at the age of 4! He was a determined player even winning a tennis tournament with a broken finger! He’s had lots of injuries over the years, but he’s always come back to reclaim his place at the top of his game. He’s known for his kindness on and off the court, particularly helping with a cleanup after his Mallorcan hometown was hit by devastating floods.

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Usain Bolt by Maria Isabel Sánchez Vegara
Illustrated by Karen Crosbie

Usain Bolt by Maria Isabel Sánchez VegaraSynopsis:”From the critically acclaimed, multimillion-copy best-selling Little People, BIG DREAMS series, discover the life of Usain Bolt. Growing up in a rural town in Jamaica, Usain was a standout cricketer and sprinter from a young age. His speed was noticed by coaches, and by the age of 14, he was wowing fans with his lightning speed. He took the world by storm at the 2008 Beijing Olympics when he broke numerous records and he became the fastest man ever at the World Championships in 2009 with a time of 9.58 seconds. Despite the pressure and even a few off-days, Usain continued to be monumental in his achievements. Usain’s story teaches us that any dream is achievable if you put your mind to it, regardless of what others may say. 
Little People, BIG DREAMS is a best-selling biography series for kids that explores the lives of outstanding people, from designers and artists to scientists and activists. All of them achieved incredible things, yet each began life as a child with a dream. Inspire the next generation of outstanding people who will change the world with Little People, BIG DREAMS! “

My Review

I remember Usain Bolt running in the Olympics but didn’t realise it was such a long time ago now. He was inspirational then but even more so since reading this book. I didn’t realise that he’s got a curved spine making one of his legs longer than the other, so definitely not a model for an Olympic gold medallist!  I remember his famous poses after winning his races and always looked forward to watching him perform in any competition. Something I didn’t know was that he’s set up a foundation to inspire children to reach for their dreams and has donated equipment to classrooms across Jamaica and supports track and field events at his old school!

Thanks so much to NetGalley and Frances Lincoln Children’s Books for my digital copies of all these books via the NetGalley app and Adobe Digital Editions