New in the Little People, Big Dreams series, discover the incredible life of Georgia O'Keeffe. The text and illustrations show Georgia as a child standing apart from her six siblings in childhood, not running and playing, but observing the beauty of nature. The author, Isabel Sanchez Vegara’s makes the point that one of O’Keeffe’s objectives as an artist was to make people notice the little things that they might be too busy to notice otherwise. This is a child friendly biography that shows a young woman striving to achieve her dream. My biggest disappointment was that none of her artwork was shown or depicted in the book, not even at the back as an appendix. I did however, immediately go online and find websites containing many of her beautiful works of art. This book could be used to teach young children how to write a biography, show that it is important to have a dream and strive to achieve it as well as to introduce this artist and her works, imparting just enough information to get someone curious to investigate further. A good book for a school library.

'Georgia O'Keeffe' by Mª Isabel Sánchez Vegara with illustrations by Erica Salcedo is part of the Little People, Big Dreams series and tells the story of a famous painter.

Starting out when she was small, Georgia O'Keeffe viewed the world differently than others. She liked to sketch the world around her while other children played. She declared early on that she would be a painter. When she moved to the city, she wanted others to notice simple things like flowers, so she painted them closely. In her later life, she moved to New Mexico.

I liked this story and it's illustrations. I especially like that the illustrator didn't try to imitate O'Keeffe's art. I think this gives the reader an opportunity to show the child some examples of the real work as part of the reading. The story is told simply and the book ends with a brief biography with some real photos of Georgia O'Keeffe.

I received a review copy of this ebook from Frances Lincoln Children's Books, Quarto Publishing Group, and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you for allowing me to review this ebook.

This is a picture book biography of Georgia O’Keeffe that hits on some of the key points of the iconic American artist’s life. The text and illustrations suggest that Georgia stood apart from her six siblings in childhood, didn’t romp and play games with them, but was instead off on her own observing nature. Isabel Sanchez Vegara’s text also appropriately makes the point that one of O’Keeffe’s objectives as an artist was to make people attend to things—like tiny flowers—that they were otherwise too busy to notice.

Generally, this is a pretty substandard picture book. I loathed seeing O’Keeffe as little more than a cartoon stick figure with a big head and one mouse-like ear (usually the right) sticking out between curtains of loose black hair. Plenty of easels, paint brushes, and paint tubes are shown, but the illustrator, Erica Salcedo, plays it too safe and steers clear of trying to depict any of Georgia’s work. At one point, readers are told that people who attended a first showing of O’Keeffe’s art were puzzled by it, but there is no information (visual or textual) as to why.

In the end, I was rather stunned that such an iconic and eccentric figure should be presented to children in such a bland manner. There are so many missed opportunities. The most notable is the failure to emphasize the boldness of her announcement at age 12 that she intended to become an artist. That a girl should dream of making a living as a painter in an art world dominated by men was quite something, and it ought to have been highlighted. O’Keeffe’s individuality and fierce independence were not given the attention they deserved either.

I was not merely unimpressed by this book; I was actually annoyed by it. O’Keeffe herself didn’t have much use for biography. She seldom spoke about the events of her life and felt that her work was the important thing. The fact that young readers can’t even see any of that work in this book is very unfortunate.

Not recommended.

Loved this simple introduction to Georgia O'Keeffe. I don't know much about her life, so I learned and benefited from this book.

Thanks, NetGalley, for the read.

I really like these little bios by Isabel Sanchez Vegara. They cover the lives and contributions of many amazing women. Great books to introduce history to kids.
I received an ARC of this book via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

I’m a huge fan of this series of Little Books, I use them with my child and for teaching. The style is in keeping with previous titles and is charming and quirky. I loved the way the colours and ideas in O’Keeffes are incorporated into the pages. I am familiar with O’Keeffes life and work and thought the text covered all the basics in a clear and informative way.
Highly recommend
I received. ARC from NetGalley, All opinions are my own.

I'm going to begin with Erica's illustrations. Now as a whole the series of Little People, Big Dreams has a quirky illustration style which I've more come to expect and appreciate rather than wholly fall in love with. This book has a similar style but at the same time it is also quite different and in a way I LOVE! Not sure if it is the noses on the people or just the overall look of the pages but whatever it is Erica nailed it!

Okay, onwards to the rest of the book. This book text-wise doesn't miss a beat either. I hadn't actually heard of Georgie O'Keeffe so I found it quite interesting first to read the book...and then going to do some further research on her (which is always the sign of a great book!). Unlike other books that have quite serious historical events, such as Harriet Tubman, this one is what I will call rather light-hearted. The way she is portrayed is so fun and showing her how her interest developed in art and her particular style was fantastic. Also, unlike the other books I've read in the series this one looks to actively connect with the reader on the final page of the story where a teacher has a book about Georgia.

I have said in previous reviews that I am a fan of this little series of books and not only is this book no exception to that, but I think it might be the best of the series. 

This is an excellent introduction to another potentially inspirational female historical figure. The images in this book are perfect in their colouring and style, especially the use of black and white for the city to contrast the colours of nature. 

This book could serve a range of purposes working as; an introduction to this particular artist, an addition to nature topics, working on topics relating to colour mixing in art, or looking closer at the things around us. There is an element of biology which can be covered through introducing the idea that we can miss the smaller things like cell structure by only looking at the big picture. I like the amount that can be covered from this one book and can see a range of topics leaping from the page immediately. Add to this that it is only one of a whole series of books like it and you get an idea as to why this is such a great little range.

My favorite edition of the "Little People, Big Dreams" series thus far. The artist was able to seamlessly translate O'Keeffe's work into the theme of the book.

An interesting and colourful look at a historical figure I was unaware of until reading this book. It is beautifully illustrated and tells Georgia's story in a simple but not overly simplified way. Perfect for young readers interested in history and art.

I love this series of books. This one has delightful and colourful illustrations. Perfect for inspiring young budding artists and interesting to learn all about the fascinating life of Georgia O'Keeffe. Well written, informative and lovely illustrations.

I think this book accomplishes it’s purpose of reaching a young demographic. Based on the simplistic re-telling of a great artist, kids will get the notion that these famous women all started out as regular kids. At first I felt opposed to the cartoon-style illustrations, but after looking over it again, I could understand how it would appeal to the intended audience. This would be a great way to entice kids to read biographies. I like the idea of kids moving up with the Who Was series that provides more details for middle grade students, I will be taking a look at this series for our K-8 library!

“Georgia O’Keeffe” focused on her life but didn’t give enough attention to her art and accomplishments. It felt like a lot was missing.

didn't know who this was but was familiar with her work. Oops. This brings the feeling of Georgia O'Keeffe through the illustrations and information very well. Enjoyed this and was surprised it was already ending, ha.



Recommend: Yes, great for in the classroom or home library. Easy to use in a class lesson or as part of a lesson depending on the age group you're working with.

I really enjoyed learning about Georgia O'Keeffe as i had seen art from her and wanted to learn more about her/ This was a really fascinating book and it's a great way into learning about the artist. I enjoyed Vegera's artwork and the way she told the story.

The picture book itself is simple enough to appeal to children while still getting the story of O'Keeffe's life across. I particularly appreciated the slightly more detailed biography in the back of the book to give kids more information. The art in this entry into the series was super cute.

Thank you Netgalley for the review copy!

I was sent this books via Netgalley for an honest review. This story was pretty interesting and I think it will inspire many little girls to follow their dreams. Georgia O'Keefe's art is colorful in every sense of the word and I love her art!
This story was a tiny bit less detailed than Harriet Tubman but still appealing.
Will add the link to my blog review soon!

My star rating on here and on goodreads will be different because the rating system on Netgalley and on goodreads mean different things even if slightly. (I also have my own rating system in place)

As someone who spent a whole term studying Georgie o'Keeffe in Year 10 GCSE Art a good few years back, this offered me a brand new insight into the artist. This really helped reaffirm why I enjoyed studying her art, and I definitely think this is a good introduction to younger people to her work and style.

What I love so much about this series is how much it's inspiring me to read further into the lives of these iconic women, something I recommend older people do if they decide to read this to the children in their lives. There was so much about Georgia's life, like her struggle with mental health and her husband cheating, that is glossed over, which makes sense as it is for younger children, but anyone who wishes to introduce those sorts of things to their children should keep that in mind.

I appreciate how this is introducing a brand new generation to Georgie O'Keeffe, and I hope it inspires them to carve their own space in the art world, something that's very difficult to do in schooling.

Oggi sono un grillo fortunato, perché mi sono cascate fra le mani ben due nuove uscite di una delle mie serie preferite (potrei far finta di avere delle remore in merito, ma tanto non mi crederebbe nessuno).

E se una mi ha fatto scoprire l'inarrestabile Harriet Tubman, questa mi trascina nel mondo meraviglioso di una delle mie artiste preferite, già esplorato (ma mai abbastanza) nell'altrettanto delizioso Kid artists.

Non dico niente, se non leggetelo.

E, sopratutto, guardate: era quello che faceva Georgia, scoprendo e riscoprendo di continuo il mondo, e mostrandolo agli altri attraverso i suoi occhi incantati.

2.5★
Georgia O'Keeffe has to be one of the most colourful artists ever, in all senses of the word. She was an interesting character and gave us a unique view of the world in her paintings of flowers and landscapes as well as skulls and less popular subjects.

This cartoon book has the bright colours she liked but is a rather dry telling of her story in simple words a young child can understand. At the back there are a couple of pages with some black and white photos of her (black and white!) and a slightly more adult summary of her life.

But there are NO pictures of her work! Nothing. Not one. There are illustrations of people gawking at her canvases, but we see only the blank back. How disappointing.

Without some examples of her art - which I think children today would still see as unique - there isn't enough to inspire a budding artist.

Thanks to Quarto Publishing for the copy for review via NetGalley.

To see her work, search Google/images for"Georgia O'Keeffe paintings" and you will be overwhelmed with the glorious art on display.