This cute book is part of the Little People, BIG DREAMS series and discover the incredible life of Nelson Mandela. The story is rendabele for younger children and the illustrations are beautiful.

'Nelson Mandela' by Maria Isabel Sanchez Vegara with illustrations by Alison Hawkins is a kid-sized biography of the man who helped unite his country.

Nelson Mandela was born with a different name and was named Nelson by a teacher who taught English. He got his sense of fairness from his father, who died when Nelson was 12. Nelson fought against an unjust system of government and spent 27 years in prison before getting out to unite his country.

This is such a moving story and told well here. The illustrations fit the story very well.

4.5★
“There once lived a little boy in South Africa whose name sounded like a song: Rolihlahla. It meant ‘troublemaker’ in Xhosa, his language.”

His people had lived in that land before there was ever a country, as we know it.

My Goodreads review includes an illustration with the caption:
Little Rolihlahla at home

At school, he was given an English name, as was the custom. (I quite like the sound of Rolihlahla, although I can’t spell it.)

His father was the chief, and after he died when Nelson was 12, the new chief took him into his home and raised him as his own son.

My Goodreads review includes an illustration with the caption:
From the elders, Nelson learned the stories of Africa and the history of colonisation.

Whites made all the rules, which Nelson thought was unfair, so off he went to college to learn how to change things. Then he discovered his family was arranging a marriage for him – something else he was against, so he moved again to Dark City, (part of Johannesburg) where he had to study by moonlight.

He began protesting with others, and joined the African National Congress (the ANC).

My Goodreads review includes an illustration with the caption:
Nelson, with other protesters, carrying signs demanding freedom and an end to apartheid

He was arrested so many times that he became a target and began disguising himself.

My Goodreads review includes an illustration with the caption:
Nelson, in disguise, near a ‘public’ bench that says “EUROPEANS ONLY”

Of course, he famously ended up in jail – for 27 years! Over that time, the public outcry spread around the world.

My Goodreads review includes an illustration with the caption:
“During the years behind bars, he didn’t just earn the respect of his guards; he became a symbol of the struggle for justice. All around the world, there were calls to free Nelson from jail and end apartheid.”

It was a long time coming, and Nelson was 72 when he was finally released by President F.W. de Klerk.

My Goodreads review includes an illustration with the caption:
In 1993, Mandela and de Klerk won the Nobel Peace Prize for working “as a team to change the laws and build a fairer country.”

Millions of people could vote for the first time, and Nelson Mandela became South Africa’s first black president.

My Goodreads review includes an illustration with the caption:
“And by facing every struggle in his long walk to freedom with hope and determination, little Nelson learned that the greatest glory is rising every time we fall. Because a winner is just a dreamer who never gives up.”

This is a wonderful series of very short biographies of famous (and should-be-famous) people. They say that you can’t be what you can’t see, so I’m hopeful that children will be able to see all kinds of paths to careers they didn’t know existed and be encouraged to imagine themselves following some.

As always, there is a short biography with 4 black and white photos at the end of the book. There is also a reference to Mandela's own book, Long Walk to Freedom.

[P.S. I try to summarise picture books with a few of the illustrations to help people decide about getting them for their families, schools, and libraries. Not everyone can get to a bookshop or library in person. I don’t think it spoils the story. After all, kids read their picture books over and over and over again. 😊]

Thanks to #NetGalley and #QuartoKnows Frances Lincoln Children’s Books from for the copy for review.

I really appreciate the concept of the "Little people, BIG DREAMS" series, and this book about Nelson Mandela is one I would definitely consider buying for my nieces and nephews or my friends kids.

It does a good job of walking you through the major points of the life of Nelson Mandela as they relate to his political work, and I think it's a lovely introduction for little kids. Cute and very accessible, and also educational and inspirational.

The book closes with a short timeline with actual photos of Nelson Mandela as well as a couple of titles for further reading on him, which I thought was great.

Thank you to NetGalley and Quarto Publishing Group for giving me a digital review copy of this book.

This book is par for the course for the series. It starts with Nelson Mandela’s Young life and goes all the way up until his most current issues. It gives a basic understanding of who the man was while glossing over and making everything seem happy and nice. It skips the harsh and the bad stuff which I they would not do. I think even kids can understand that not all famous people had it easy.

A great book of the little South African boy who became a president, and his strong will that made him able to shout peace that end the apartheid movement in Africa. Though he passed through difficult situation, but he never give up. A good reminder for kids to fight for a good cause relentless.

Little People, Big Dreams is a great series of books that explores the lives of outstanding people in history and this volume features Nelson Mandela. This is a short biography about his life, bravery and resilience. Featuring beautiful artwork throughout this book starts with Little Nelson receiving his given name Rolihlahla and his journey to becoming South Africa’s first Black president. This is a great introduction for any reader into Mandela’s life.

Special thanks to Netgalley for the eARC in exchange for my honest review.

I love this series and how each page has 4 lines. The illustrated part of the book gives essential information of the person's life and then there is a detailed 2 page spread at the back that gives even more information. All information is presented in a kid-friendly way. I can't wait to see what else this series has to offer.

As always, this is another fantastic book from the Little People, Big Dreams series. Starting from his childhood, it gives a simple yet informational retelling of Nelson Mandela's life, highlighting the difficulties he faced in his quest for equal rights. This is definitely a book I would use in the classroom as part of a history topic. I was really pleased that it didn't skim over certain important elements, such as the time he spent in prison and reasons why, so it gives the complete picture. The illustrations are bright and colourful, attracting children's attention and small chunks of text on each page mean it isn't too overwhelming for kids to read independently.

I love this series of books, and this one did not disappoint! The book is super accessible for readers of all ages and has beautiful accompanying illustrations.

This book was amazing. I grew up learning about nelson mandela from books and my family. I never learned about it in school but i went into this book thinking i would know it all. I had never heard about his childhood and I’m shocked and pleased to be able to see what his upbringing was like before he was nelson mandela! This book shows and appreciates a great man. How could so much be told in a children’s book?!

"A winner is a dreamer who doesn't give up."

"Little people big dreams" have not disappointed me when it comes to learn about the lives of famous people for our young readers. Not just only basic and child-friendly biographies, this series always contained beautiful illustrations and an inspiring quote (such as the one above) at the end of the each book.
Similarly.  I enjoyed reading Nelson Mandela. The book portrays brief description of Mandela's life (and how he made a difference in the world) in a simplest language for young children to comprehend and engage to read further. Also, I love how simply the racial and political issues were explained for children to understand the hard work that Mandela had fought for.
Overall, it is a great book for a head start to learn about this inspiring man.

I enjoyed this book more than I thought I would. So much to learn about the iconic Nelson Mandela! The book read smoothly with great illustrations regarding Mandelas life - both struggles and great accomplishes. What an amazing man who never deserved what happened to him. I’m so glad I picked this book!

I received an advance reader copy of this book to read in exchange for an honest review via netgalley and the publishers.

"A winner is just a dreamer who never gives up".

Nelson Mandela is another superb addition to the Little People Big Dreams series and is another of my favourites so far.
This short biography for children explains who Nelson Mandela was and how he made a difference on the world. Nelson Mandela was such an inspirational person and I'm so glad he's been given a spot in this series. So much is still to be done in the world today to rid the world of racism and division and this book helps children to see that chasing your dreams and standing up for what you believe in, can impact the world around us and make a change weather big or small.

I am loving this series! I find the books extremely informative and at an understanding level for younger children (in my case, students). The illustrations are great, too…often depicting real events. These books would be helpful to start classroom discussions and even those hard conversations that often get overlooked. I definitely plan on purchasing this book and others in the series for my classroom!
Thanks @netgalley for the ARC!

Posted on my Instagram page @lizzies_little_library

I received an electronic ARC from Quarto Publishing Group – Frances Lincoln Children's Books through NetGalley.
One of the latest in the Little People, Big Dreams series. Sanchez Vegara is superb at capturing the essence of historical figures for younger readers. She shares the important pieces of Mandela's life at a level elementary students can comprehend. Her text offers connection points to their own experiences, and the books always end with encouragement for readers. The timeline provided at the end offers more facts and actual photos of Mandela.
I always look forward to seeing who she will write about next.

Thank you to NetGalley, the publisher and authors for providing me with an ARC of this book.
It was informative with great illustrations. I highly recommend it

This is a very basic and child friendly biography of Nelson Mandela. It is important to note that this is about Mandela, not apartheid. As I read this I originally thought it did not show how bad apartheid was, but it does share the story of young Nelson (aka Rolihlahla) and how he became involved in human rights in South Africa. Rolihlahla meant troublemaker in Xhosa, his native language. He was descended from a clan who had lived on the land for generations. Once it was taken over by white men, the black inhabitants became second class. When Nelson's father died he was sent to live at the "Great Place" and he was educated by the chief's family. He developed a sense of fairness and eventually began organizing peaceful protests to gain right for everyone. After several arrests, he was finally imprisoned for 27 years for trying to overthrow the government. People all over the world demanded his release and eventually President F. W. de Klerk released him in 1990. Again it doesn't mention the pressure from the world, nor the threat of civil war. It makes it sound like he did it because it was the right thing to do. This is a great introduction to Nelson Mandela and how his drive to promote equal rights and justice began as a young boy. Alison Hawkin's illustrations are stylized images and were a perfect companion to this book. The message of dreaming big and following those dreams is a great one for children.

The Little People Big Dreams series is so special. In each book, it highlights an inspirational man or woman and teaches young readers a brief overview of their life in a way that they can comprehend.

The newest book in the series features Nelson Mandela, an incredible man who fought against apartheid in South Africa. He spent 27 years in prison for standing up for equality.

Every book shows the importance of standing up for your beliefs and persevering when life pushes back. The last sentence of the book sums up everything perfectly -- "...a winner is just a dreamer who never gives up."

A timely book, given the recent deaths of other major South African political figures, is this just published Nelson Mandela by Maria Isabel Sanchez Vegara - albeit a children’s book. As the father of the new South Africa, Mandela is well known. His achievements will inspire children, as this book acknowledges the spirit of the man. With colourful drawings and easily understood sentences, children of all ages will delight in this book and be given an insight to a significant figure of modern history. A four-star read rating and a tip – seek out other works in the series. With much thanks to Frances Lincoln Children's Books and the author, for an uncorrected advanced review copy. As always, the opinions herein are totally my own and freely given.