Unlikely to read - had for a while but now removed from my tbr. Thank you for the opportunity to read

Beautiful artwork, historic people covered in an interesting and appealing way, these books are great for children and adults alike as they are so gorgeous, highly recommended

I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

A beautiful addition to this series. It features the seminal and timeless screen icon. I like how this handled the many difficult issues within Marilyn life in an age appropriate way.

A beautiful book for children which touches upon the life of Marilyn Monroe. This book is accompanied by beautiful illustrations.

As a child Norma Jeane loved going to the movies and dreamed of becoming a star like the ones she saw on the big screen and the covers of magazines. After marrying young and working in a factory, she knew she wanted more from life. With a dazzling new look and a change of name, a new star was born and she was ready to take Hollywood by storm. For a while it was hard to get work but it wouldn’t be long before everyone knew the name Marilyn Monroe…

Marilyn Monroe, one of Hollywood’s most famous, gets another turn in the limelight thanks to the fabulous Little People, Big Dreams series of biographies. Monroe has such an interesting and unique story to tell and I am thrilled that a young audience can now read about one of the most lauded stars of the 20th century.

Like many of these biographies, this journey to stardom is not without its struggles. It would be easy to think that Marilyn Monroe always had a glamorous lifestyle but before the fame and fortune was the story of a young girl who spent much of her childhood in orphanages and was raised by foster families, a result of her mother being in hospital.

Whilst many will be familiar with Marilyn’s career as an actress, there are lots of references to her other achievements that I knew little or nothing about. Not just a pretty face, Marilyn had a larger than life bubbly personality, was the first women to own a production company, fought for equal rights within the acting industry, thought nothing of heading overseas to entertain the military troops and when asked to cover up the truth about some modelling work that at the time was seen as scandalous she flat out refused and remained proud of what she had done.

For obvious reasons, the darker parts of Monroe’s life are not included but to tell a whole life story is not the purpose of these books. What they set out to do is to inspire and to encourage children to achieve their dreams. Little Norma would go from difficult childhood to factory worker to Hollywood superstar and that is the message that children should take away. Yes, life can be difficult but dreams can definitely come true as long as you have the drive to succeed, particularly when the odds are stacked against you. Monroe’s journey to fame is possibly the ultimate American rags-to-riches story.

The story is told in short and simple sentence and is delightfully illustrated with bright and bold artwork. At the back of the the book there is a short overview of her life which includes key facts and dates and a historical timeline featuring photographs.

With thanks to Maria Isabel Sánchez Vegara and Frances Lincoln Children’s Books for the copy that was received through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Recommended for 5+.

I continue to love this series and will always champion it's use in schools. Here we learn the story of Marilyn Monroe with accessible language and bright pictures. Charting her life from childhood to fame, this little book will give any young historian a starting point to learn about Marilyn Monroe

Marilyn Monroe to me is an icon so I was delighted to be able to read this addiction to the little people, big dreams collection.
A colourful story telling of how Marilyn became Marilyn rather than Norma Jean.

I absolutely adore the Little People, Big Dreams series and this book, focusing on Marilyn Monroe, was an interesting read. Filled with glorious illustrations, these texts are a fabulous springboard for classroom discussion. I love how they cover such a broad range of famous faces, from scientists to musicians.

The story of Marilyn Monroe is a worthy addition to the series, detailing Marilyn’s early life and rise to fame. The illustrations feel very old Hollywood in style. The only slight issue for me is the reference to her posing for photographs with ‘very little clothes on’. Whilst I appreciate this is making a point about her honesty and refusal to bow down under expectations at the time, I think this could potentially make for a difficult conversation, particularly with younger children.

Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC - I enjoyed learning more about this iconic figure.

Little People, Big Dreams have provided an inspirational story about a true icon and shows there is so much more to ones story. The drawings and story match perfectly for young audiences and will be a story that can easily be picked up, enjoyed and remembered for a long time. I really do enjoy this series!

Have never kept it a secret that I absolutely love these books, and this one is no different.
Even better because it is actually someone who I have heard of, and knew what they were known for!
Great series of books.

I love that this book focuses on the good things that Marilyn Munroe did and completely ignores the controversy surrounding her later life and death (which lets be honest, isn't suitable reading for the age range that this is aimed at). It shows that you can come from nothing (being in foster homes because her mother was too sick to care for her) and having a huge amount of competition, but being determined to follow your dreams and keep working hard towards them, can pay off. But that you should never stop remembering where you came from and what your life was like before you became famous.
I really loved this book.

This was a cute fun kid friendly book about Hollywood icon Marilyn Monroe. It tells the story of her life in a simple easy format to understand. I love all the books in this series and recommend them. They also make great gifts!

When my 8 year old daughter saw that new titles were being released by Maria Isabel Sanchez Vegara she was so excited to get the opportunity to review them. She has read all of the previous titles in our local bookshop and very much enjoys them. The author does a great job of providing facts about famous people past and present in a way that is interesting to children, informative and expands their knowledge of the world.

I would recommend these books for children aged 7-12 and would definitely give them 5 stars!!

This is the second book in this series that I've read and I'm a huge fan. They're beautifully illustrated, quick reads that are super interesting. Perfect for all ages. I'll definitely be reading more.

Discover the lives of extraordinary people, from designers and artists to scientists. All of them achieved incredible things, yet each began life as merely a child with a dream. Marilyn Monroe was born Norma Jeane and she knew from a very young age that she wanted her name up in bright lights on the big screen. She propelled herself to stardom in her early twenties, living out her dreams with the fabulous new name of Marilyn Monroe. The little girl with a big dream became one of the most iconic figures of the 20th century. This inspiring story of the actress’s life also features a facts and photo section towards the back.

It's an educational and entertaining read filled with vivid full-colour illustrations which empowers young ones to pursue their dreams without limitations and inspires them to dream bigger and realise their fullest potential by introducing them to extraordinary people throughout history. It's a wonderfully engaging and simple to understand book which also helps kids with literacy and fosters an enjoyment of reading. You simply cannot go wrong with this series in general as everything is executed perfectly and tailored beautifully to youngsters. There is just enough information to whet their appetite but not enough to overwhelm. Highly recommended.

I love these books and this one was no exception to the rule. Truly beautiful! Would make a perfect gift.

Marilyn Monroe is one of the most fascinating women to watch on screen and read about, not only for her beauty and talent but also because she was a woman of many contradictions; She was a savvy businesswoman but could convincingly play the ‘dumb blonde’, she suffered with crippling anxiety but always seemed the epitome of confidence and she battled depression, but her smile was one of the most famous in world. This short biography skips over some of the darker points of Marilyn’s life and death but that is to be expected considering the age range it is intended for.

These biographies are age appropriate; inspiring and interesting, but not overwhelming. They have bright, beautiful illustrations, striking covers, and look great on a shelf together. I love the diversity of the people featured in this series. Artists, athletes, authors, activists, actors, explorers, entertainers, musicians and scientists.

Thank you NetGalley and Frances Lincoln Children's Books for the advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

A sweet introduction to Marilyn Monroe for little ones. With beautiful and colourful illustrations, we learn about Marilyn's tough start to life to how she became one of the most famous movie stars. My daughters (7 and 5) were definitely interested in Marilyn's story and this book certainly held their attention. It doesn't mention much about her films but is a good introduction to her life for younger readers and really focuses on Marilyn's determination to succeed after a tricky start in life. I always enjoy reading this series of books to my girls.

I really enjoyed this children's book, which showed the life of Marilyn Monroe from when she was a child. I found it really interesting to find out more about her and how she became famous. The book is very colourful and the illustrations are beautiful and unique. I highly recommend this book.

Many thanks to the author, publisher and NetGalley for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you to Quarto/Frances Lincoln and Netgalley for the Earc to read and review.

Marilyn Monroe even today who doesn’t love her? She’s an icon and remembered for being the most beautiful women ever.

I loved that I got to learn more about her by reading this, I didn’t realise she had been raised in an orphanage, that was so interesting to me. She had such a ‘normal’ life before becoming who we all knew her to be, it’s so fascinating. She’s always such an inspiring, talented and beautiful woman no matter the era we are in and I am so glad she has a part in this wonderful book series.

As I always say this series is incredible, with the adorable illustrations, the biographies of some of the most wonderful and inspiring people being cut down to bite sized easy stories for younger kids to read and understand. These books will always be a recommendation from me.