"Little Rudolf showed the world there are not 'things for girls' or 'things for boys'."
All parents and children should live by this belief! Why should boys only wear blue and girls pink? Ever since having a boy and a girl, I fight with these stereotypes. And I teach them daily that they can do whatever and become whomever they want in life. It's books like this one that help me prove the idea to them.
Another great read from Ms. Sánchez Vegara and the Little People, Big Dreams series!
Thank you to Net Galley and Frances Lincoln Children's Books for providing me with an e-book copy in exchange for my honest review!

This was a delightful book that shows how you can follow your dreams.

Rudolf Nureyev fell in love with ballet at a young age but it was not viewed as a hobby or future job role that would be suitable for a boy, he ignored the comments and followed his dream to become one of the most famous ballet dancers in the world!

I love this series and this is another great, brief introduction to a famous name from the past. I hope the book encourages young children to disregard any prejudices and to just follow their hearts- 4 stars from me and looking forward to reading more from this fantastic series!

I didn't know anything about Nureyev, so it was fun to "meet" him through these playful images and simple words. An interesting addition to a series I enjoy.

Another beautiful addition to this series which I love to read. Gorgeous illustrations accompany Nureyev's story too at the perfect level for readers of all ages. It includes a really good message about doing what you want and not letting your gender stop you and being true to yourself.

C'era una volta un bambino che viveva con la sua famiglia in un piccolo villaggio nella sconfinata steppa russa.

Questo bambino un giorno andò a teatro, e scoprì che voleva fare il ballerino.

Piroetta dopo piroetta diventò uno dei più grandi di tutti i tempi; lottò contro l'oppressione, fuggì dal suo Paese, innovò la tradizione artistica del balletto occidentale.

Diventò una leggenda.

Un esempio incantevole come sempre, anche se spiace, nell'ammirare la biografia di un artista di questo calibro, vedere che manca qualsiasi accenno alla sua omosessualità. Capisco la delicatezza del tema per bambini piccoli, ma non vedo perché non si sarebbe potuto introdurre comunque il concetto.

Like the "Bruce Lee" story, I found this book to have much less information than some of the other books in this series. Still a great book for kids, I just wish there was a little more substance.
The drawings a great, just with there was more to it.

I didn't love the illustrations in this book, but I thought the author did a great job telling Nureyev's story and getting a message of acceptance across.

Another great addition to the Little People, Big Dreams series. I love that it focuses on a male ballerina. There is still a stigma today about male dancers and I found Nureyev's story inspiring and uplifting. He showed that passion coupled with hard work and determination can accomplish many things.

I received an advanced copy through Netgalley in return for an honest review.

I love the breadth of historical figures this series covers from scientists to ballet dancers. The illustrations are very nice and stylistic. It seems like a good introduction to Rudolf Nuryev for young children, although I do wish the biographical page at the end of the book included more details.

The story of Rudolf Nureyev, a Russian born dancer who wouldn’t give up his dream to dance the way he wanted and love who he loved. What a beautiful story about a wonderful human. I love the style of illustration in this book.

I received a copy of this book in exchange for my honest review. Thank you NetGalley.

the little people, big dreams books are a HUGE hit in our home. This book was no exception.. We learned so much about Rudolf Nureyev!

This book is the latest in a wonderful series for young children. In each nicely illustrated entry, is a story about a famous person, while at the end of each, there is a more detailed time line and photos. Each book shows the child that there is a world awaiting them that is full of possibility and that dreams matter. This book on Nureyev is no exception!

Readers will learn about how Rudolf fell in love with dance from the first time that he saw a ballet. Due to poverty and lack of resources, he was seventeen when he was accepted to ballet school. Young readers will find out about the ways in which Rudolf wanted to do things differently, his defection from Russia and the amazing, high leaping dancer that he was. Mention is also made of how there should not be particular dreams for girls or boys but dreams for everyone.

This book is a welcome addition to the series. Celebrate dance as you learn about Nureyev. Many thanks to NetGalley and Quarto for this read in exchange for an honest review.

I was so excited to read this little book. I think this series is just stunning, it really makes approachable the greatest figures in history to children.
I love Nureyev's life, and the illustrations just made it even more amazing. I love how simple yet how elegant they were. And I loved the main message to not be defined by things "created for a gender or another." I can't wait to read more of these books, cause they bring such joy and positivity to the little ones, and at the same time they educate them.
Really cute.

This series is going from strength to strength, there's just too many for us to stock as many as we'd like. This story is inspiring for boys it teaches being a man can mean many things and success should be measured in your own terms. Great art style and carefully pitched storytelling. Very well done!

This entry in the series focuses on Rudolf Nureyev, the dancer. While I did enjoy it somewhat, I felt it was affected by some of the odd writing and illustration choices that plague some of the other books in the series.

The insistence on referring to "Russia" throughout will make it nearly impossible for many kids to understand the time period in which Nureyev lived. For much of his life, he didn't live in "Russia"; he lived in the USSR. Kids may want to know this little fact, because it helps explain why government handlers were following him in Paris, and why defecting was such a big deal. There's also a veiled reference to his sexuality, but absolutely no mention of the fact that he died of AIDS. It seems the tragedy of that time was deemed inappropriate for a children's book. (I'm curious as to how figures like Anne Frank and Marie Curie are handled. Do the books lead the reader to believe they died peacefully in their sleep as octogenarians?)

These particular illustrations seem an odd choice for a book about a bunch of ballet dancers. While they do have a sort of swoopy grace to them, the characters all look stocky and nobody has a neck. It's a rather odd choice, and not one I'm sure I agree with.

While this isn't a very in-depth biography, it could be a good starting point for readers who are interested in the subject in question. But that's all it really is: a starting point. Like many of the books in this series, it simply doesn't go deep enough. The timeline at the back of this one is rather sparse, which will necessitate more research on the part of the reader if they want a good understanding of the figure in question.

A so-so primer to the ballet great Nureyev, but one that tends to shirk certain issues, and not give nearly enough detail. The fact remains that while this book says Nureyev went against the shorts of Soviet ballet dancers in favour of unisexual western-styled tights, and showed the world feminine and masculine were arbitrary, it also ignores the simple fact of his homosexuality. That was a missed opportunity, surely – this series is about pioneers, and we only see the surface and the detail of his craft, and not the man's sexuality – or the problems he had when in self-imposed exile in France. Speaking of which, the artwork is so bad the plane that leaves without him actually looks more like a plane if you turn the page upside down; the design also commits the egregious sin of making the very skinny indeed Nureyev look fat in every pose. So the man could really have been served a lot better by this – I hope a passing adult is on hand to give the full picture once this oh-too-brief rendition has been read. Not a highlight for this series.

To be honest, I hadn’t heard of Rudolf Nureyev before, so I can’t judge how accurately this book portraits his life. But I think this is a book with a very important message. It tells kids that there are no ”girl things“ or ”boy things“, and that they are allowed to love whatever they want, no matter their gender. And, of course, that hard work and dedication will pay off eventually.

ARC generously provided in exchange for an honest review.

Wow!! This one was a gem!
Thank you so much for the copy of this book!
I personally hadn't heard from Rudolph, but I was so inspired by his story!!
My favorite line was " there are not things for girls or boys only things you love with all your heart"
The illustrations were beautiful!

These are such beautiful and informative books for little and big people, because I didn’t know much about Rudolf I learned a lot here too ! Inspiring bedtime reads or for just inspiring little people at any time

Thanks to netgalley and the publisher for a free copy for an honest opinion

This series is always a joy to read, it’s a really nice introduction to well known people for little children. Of course the plot is always a little bit fast but that’s to be expected and it’s totally understandable.
Rudolf Nureyev has always inspired me. He definitely was part of a big change in the ballet world and I cannot but admire him for pursuing his passion and being the promoter of some very groundbreaking innovations at the time. Now I'm even more looking forward to checking out the movie about him!