A sweet little book about my favourite tennis legend. Maybe a little young for my ten year old but we still enjoyed reading it together and the pictures are adorable as always,
Thank you Netgalley for this ARC.

Another fantastic book in the Little People, Big Dreams series.

I love that the series focuses on a large variety of people. across different backgrounds. They are the perfect length for children and are always highly engaging.

Small but mighty.

Rafa Nadal by Maria Isabel Sanchez Vegara is another release in the Little People, Big Dreams series, which I have reviewed frequently on here. I just love these little books. They are always packed with facts about the person who they are writing about and full of colourful illustrations throughout.

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.

I found this little book full of easy to read, with great Illustrations throughout this small book.

I am so glad these books are being published and I highly recommend all of these books

Many thanks to Frances Lincoln Children’s Books and NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I love the Little People, Big Dreams books. This was a great read, and I like that the series includes people from all different professions so that kids have a diverse range of people to look up too.

I appreciate the short blurbs at the end that give a timeline of the persons life. I will continue to buy these books as gifts for the children in my life!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the advanced copy in exchange for my honest review.

We had recently been to Rafa’s home town on holiday so this lovely book really brought it to life of who he is. My kids love this books although as a parent it does feel like the well is running a bit dry now of inspirational characters. Sports people are always a bit a of tricky one in my books as it’s often physiology rather than ‘work hard and you can do anything’. The illustrations are lovely as always

We love these books in our house. They are a great way to introduce your little ones to important and/or famous people without being too big or in depth. The illustrations are so cute!

Another lovely book from Little People, Big Dreams - one of my favourite series, and I have a feeling the sport biographies for kids are quite possible my favourite in these series or maybe because I know the least about these awesome humans, I learn the most from these? An idea I should explore.

I am a big fan of Rafa and his tennis career, but I admit I did not know much about his childhood or how he came into playing tennis nor did I know about his work outside the tennis realm.

4★
“When he was four years old, his uncle Toni gave him his first tennis lesson.”

And the rest, as they say, is history.

Born on the island of Mallorca in 1986, Rafael Nadal Parera was a talented child playing both soccer and tennis. One uncle played professional soccer and one was a tennis coach.

My Goodreads review includes an illustration with this caption:
“From the moment that Rafa hit the ball, he showed all the qualities that make a remarkable tennis player: coordination, flexibility, agility, and quick reflexes.”

He was the top scorer on a winning soccer team, but he was also winning tennis matches against much older players. Because that’s where he felt his natural talent was, tennis was the sport he chose. Uncle Toni continued to coach him, and Rafa took it seriously.

My Goodreads review includes an illustration with this caption:
“ Rafa was always the first to arrive at practice and the last to leave, having swept the court and picked up all of the balls.”

Poor kid, watching the others, all packed up and waving goodbye as he drags the cleaning mat up the court. I assume that’s Uncle Toni taking notes on the sidelines.

As he grew up, he was so dedicated that he continued playing a match with a broken finger and could hardly hold the trophy. He won countless matches – well, not countless, because there are people who count these things, but he was an amazing, resilient player.

He had countless injuries, and I bet they are countless, because who really wants to keep track of them? Each time I thought he was done, he came back, getting back into winning form.

In 2008, in the Wimbledon men’s finals, he and Roger Federer played a still-talked-about match.

My Goodreads review includes an illustration with this caption:
“He played the most legendary tennis battle ever against Roger Federer, another exceptional player. They met in London at a Wimbledon tournament, and after four hours and forty-eight minutes, Rafa won the final.”

You can still watch it online if you have a spare five hours and a drink and a snack and an armchair and are prepared to exhaust yourself watching a pair of champions at work.

He’s also known for his charity work, and when his home island was quick to help in the floods that hit Mallorca.

My Goodreads review includes an illustration with this caption:
“ Still, Rafa’s not just about tennis. When Mallorca, his home, was hit by devastating floods, he was among the first to help with the cleanup.”

As with all the Little People BIG DREAMS books, there are four photographs and a short biography at the end with a recommendation for further reading. Here are two that are how I think of Rafa. Never give up!

My Goodreads review includes an illustration with this caption:
“Spain’s Rafael Nadal celebrates after winning a point against France’s Arnaud Clement during the third and last day of their Davis Cup semifinal in Alicante, Spain Sunday Sept. 26, 2004. (AP Photo/Ramon Espinosa)”

And always give back.

My Goodreads review includes an illustration with this caption:
Rafael Nadal participating in a tennis clinic with children from The Child Center of NY at Flushing Meadows Tennis Center in Queens New York City, USA - 25.08.11”

He is, by all accounts, a lovely guy who never says no to charity. I enjoyed learning a bit about him in this little book (and in the rabbit holes I went down looking for more detail). The illustrations are colourful and appealing and would be excellent for a generic story about a tennis player, but they look nothing like Rafael Nadal, who has quite distinctive features. The headband helps.

Thanks to #NetGalley and Frances Lincoln Children’s Books for the copy for review from which I’ve shared a few illustrations. It’s a terrific series.

[This is being published on 4 June 2024, the day after his 38th birthday. Happy birthday, Rafa!]

For sports fans, tennis fans or just lovers of the Little People, Big Dreams series.
Maria has again encapsulated the youth and journey of another person.
Inspiring, articulate and beautifully illustrated, Maria really does provide the best books.

Thank you NetGalley for the eArc copy of this book for an honest review.

My grade 4 class loved this book. They loved he colours. They liked the way the story was engaging and informative. They have read similar styles before and this that the book is good for lower to middle primary aged students.

5/5 recommended

The book is well researched and engaging, highlighting the catchy bits of information and bringing out the beauty of the story with colorful illustrations. Perfect for children!

Love this series. Another great, easy to read overview of a tennis legend. Lovely to read with my kids and great illustrations to capture the imagination.

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

In this series of picture book biographies, the format is similar to that of a fictional picture book. Half of the text focuses on the subjects’ youth, the other half on their achievements as adults, which makes sense since most of them are fairly young.

We loved this book so much and it is a delightful addition to the series of Little People. Big Dreams. I had heard of Rafa but didn't know much about this inspiring legend and enjoyed learning with my daughters as we read his story!

I read this book directly after seeing the new 'Challengers' movie, and so it was very timely for me. I had never heard of this athlete, but enjoyed seeing his career depicted and feel like this book stood out against others in the series. I think its a good introduction to tennis for young readers, who may know nothing about the sport.

My son is a big fan of these books and despite not knowing who Rafa Nadal was he enjoyed reading this book with me. I think this series is really good at teaching children about people who have had a big impression on the world in a particular field.

As a huge tennisfan I just had to read this book, so I’m very thankful that I could read this Thank you Maria Isabel Sánchez, thank you Frances Lincoln Children’s Books and thank you NetGally!

My mother and my aunt are huge tennis fans, grand slams were closely followed. Not a match was missed. That’s how I learned of Rafael Nadal as a teenage kid. I think that I can safely say that Rafa is their favorite tennis player.

When I saw that Maria Isabel Sánchez Vegara was gonna make a 𝐋𝐢𝐭𝐭𝐥𝐞 𝐏𝐞𝐨𝐩𝐥𝐞 𝐁𝐢𝐠 𝐃𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐦𝐬 book about Rafael Nadal I knew I just had to read it! I love the Little People Big Dreams books, they’re inspiring. I have the one about Jane Goodall (my hero) on my bookshelves.

I love the style of Maria Isabel Sánchez Vegara. The illustrations are always colorful and the characters always recognizable! Because of my mother and aunt I know a little about Nadal and it’s nice to see those things in the book.

As I mentioned before I really like the books of Little People Big Dreams and and I believe that these books should be on all children’s bookshelves, so they can learn that anything is possible. I hope that more books will be translated into Dutch.

I’ve already ordered a copy of 𝐋𝐢𝐭𝐭𝐥𝐞 𝐏𝐞𝐨𝐩𝐥𝐞 𝐁𝐢𝐠 𝐃𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐦𝐬: 𝐑𝐚𝐟𝐚 𝐍𝐚𝐝𝐚𝐥 for my mother’s birthday 😉

A good biography about a sports star. I did not know anything about Rafa Nadal beforehand, so this is a great introduction.

📱E-Book Review📱

Rafa Nadal
Maria Isabel Sanchez Vegara

🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟

This is one of the books in the Little People, Big Dreams series which I've seen absolutely everywhere, but only just started working my way through! (I know ....where have I been!?)

I'm not really a big sports fan, but I do love to watch Wimbledon in the summer.
Again, not a huge follower, but I do keep track on the big names - and Rafa is up there with the best.

It was great to see where he started out and it's so inspiring to watch his passion grow over the years.
I can't believe that he'd been training since the age of 4!
And that he also was a great footballer too! Imagine being that good at multiple sports that you have to choose!

Rafa is so passionate about his sport that he even played with a broken finger! Ouch! That shows such dedication, perseverance and resilience - all great qualities to display to encourage the youngsters who are reading these books!

I also liked that his fear of the dark was included in the book - it made him seem more like a real person (rather than untouchable famous person) and lots of children could relate to this and see that having some fears doesn't make you weak.

Dreams can still be achieved if you work hard and have a passion for your work.

This was a super quick read - full of information - but told in a way that was interesting and fun.
The illustrations were great too, with lots of detail to look at and prompt discussion with younger readers.

This series is actually amazing and I really must add more to my tbr - there are over 100 books in the series already and, like this one, many more still being added.

Great for school libraries, classroom learning, home education shelves and for any of us adults who just love reading!



💕Thank you to the author, publisher and NetGalley for my ARC copy - this is my honest review 💕