Charles Dickens is a wonderful author and has been part of my life since my time at school reading Oliver Twist in English and the social commentary in his novels highlighted in my British History studies.

Who hasn’t enjoyed Dickensian dramatic interpretations on the TV with wonderful names and memorable situations.

Here is a book in this great series: Little people, Big dreams, dedicated to Charles himself and how the boy became the man and the writer we all take for granted.

With simple text, accompanied by considered illustrations that have a consistent palette and complement the story.

Young Charles had a life of set backs but seemingly in each instance he was able to overcome disappointment and move forward with ambition and drive. He is an excellent role model, often it more easy to identify with failures rather than pushing on to achieve success. Charles Dickens bucks this trend by finding achievement rather than dwelling on broken dreams outside his control

What the author, love each and every book she has written, always seems to achieve are the key circumstances that show how an ordinary life can became exceptional. In Dickens’ life she taps into these negative influences. Having to leave school and work at a young age. Missing a great career opportunity due to personal illness.

However what I liked about this story is that his ambition and hard work before, being a keen student, being observant and wanting to better himself are highlighted. Seemingly he doesn’t allow the negatives to be excuses that limit his aspirations.

His writing was so successful because it was true to life, a life he faced himself through hunger, poverty and debt. He was a participant in life not just an observer.

Above all he had the heart of a story teller and that cardiac rhythm beats long and proud in this terrific book that will inspire and encourage our own children and grandkids.

Charles Dickens by Maria Isabel Sanchez Vegara explores the life of the titular British author. In events worthy of his own stories, young Charles became a child factory worker. As an adult, he tried working as an actor, and at a law firm. Weaving stories was his true passion though and he thrived as a journalist and storyteller. And today, middle and high school kids are forced to read his books every year. (Can you guess whose books never thrilled me much?)

At the end is a section with more detailed information on his life, suitable for older readers. Inspirational and educational both, this entire series is great, and full of delightful art to engage younger audiences! Recommended!

Charles Dickens by Maria Isabel Sanchez Vegara and I just Love this little books by Maria Isabel Sanchez Vegara, These must be one of the best little books to purchase for children, these are the best-selling series of books and educational games that explore the lives of outstanding people, from designers and artists to scientists and activists. All of them achieved incredible things, yet each began life as a child with a dream.

A must book for your children's book shelves.

Big Thank you to netgalley and the Quarto Publishing Group for a free copy for an honest opinion

Discover the life and times of Charles Dickens - one of the great, renowned classic authors, whose works include Oliver Twist, The Pickwick Papers and how could I possibly not mention A Christmas Carol - in this cracking mini biography. Today’s young people are unlikely to pick up a novel by Dickens but his life story is well-worth a read.

Born in England when movies didn’t exist, Charles made up his own adventures. He loved watching people and making up stories about them. When a Dickensian twist of fate landed his father in prison for unpaid debts, Charles had to work in a factory. Eventually finding his way out, he tried his luck as a law clerk and as a performer before settling as a writer and a storyteller. He would become one of the most beloved novelists of all time whose books are still read today…

Charles Dickens’ life story reads like one of the very novels he wrote. One of the fortunate few who was able to attend school, he had to leave and work in a factory when his father went to prison. His life was one of missed opportunities before he eventually became the famous writer that many know and love. He could easily be one of the characters from his own books; persevering through challenging times to ultimately make the most of life.

He was a pioneer in publishing, to make his books affordable to the masses he released many of his works chapter by chapter. Imagine not being able to read a book all at once and having to wait patiently for the next instalment to be in the shops; I couldn’t bear it. He also used his writing as a platform to raise social issues, for example highlighting the struggles of poor children and giving them a voice in Oliver Twist. Several of the pages are devoted to A Christmas Carol which is the tale that most children will be familiar with, perhaps having been involved in a school production or seeing the film. The Christmas spirit is well and truly alive within these pages.

Despite Dickens living in the 1800’s he can teach today’s children plenty about getting back up after knock-downs and the importance of dusting yourself off and trying again. Hardship certainly made him stronger and more resourceful and his story exemplify that dreams can always be achieved and that difficult experiences can be used as motivation and contributors to successes.

Isobel Ross’ illustrations are a particular highlight and really bring the Victorian era to life; quills, sailors, top hats, metal hoops, castles, ravens, cravats, child labour in factories, velvet curtains, bedside candles and sailors at the harbour all exemplify Victorian times. Perfectly pitched for young readers, the story is told in short and simple sentences that provide just enough detail to give a flavour of a famous life. At the back of the the book there is a short overview of his 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+.

One of my favourites in the series. A great way to introduce young people to this fantastic writer.
Beautiful illustrations.
I always look forward to the next book in the series

Another delightful addition to this wonderful collection. Gorgeous illustrations accompany the simple but beautiful storytelling and give small children the inspiration to dream big!

Thank you NetGalley and Frances Lincoln Children's Books for the advanced copy.

This is the second installment of the little people BIG DREAMS series I have read.even though they are advertised for children I find them very interesting and love learning new things.

I feel like something like this is a great filler book, or if you want to read but aren't feeling great, just a nice short learning book.
I learned things I didn't know, about how he was born to rich parents who then fell down on hard luck. I would have liked to hear more about his life, but I see that you can tell only so much on 32 pages and I think this makes you want to go and find out more yourself.

This series always felt like a starting point, to get children hooked on the story so they might chose to pick up more books later on. The colour palette and drawings felt muted, drab and very appropiate to a time when the mist would get so thick in the London air.

I enjoyed it and feel this would make a great gift for someone, with the variety available there is something for every child.

Great book, from a great series of books!
A lot of the time, I don't know too much about who these books are about but this time I obviously knew who Charles Dickens is - yet I still learnt plenty of new things about him by reading this book.

Lovely illustrations with a clear and concise telling of some of the key highlights in Charles Dickens’ timeline. Would have also been great to have included something about how he performed and toured his stories to link back to his theatrical background.

This is a another great children's book from the Little People, Big Dreams series. I found it very interesting to read about Charles Dickens and his life, and I learned a lot about him. I enjoyed the images in the book and the easy to read text, which children will love. Charles was inspirational and he left behind a lot of great writing for us all to enjoy, such as A Christmas Carol and Oliver Twist.

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

I thought this exploration of Charles Dickens is accessible and inspirational for young readers. I enjoyed the illustrations and the main points captured to summarise Charles’s lifetime.

Charles Dickens is probably my favourite Litte People Big Dreams book. It's full of inspiration and grit and determination
I love that the books give the reader an insight into the subject as a young child, their passion behind their motivation.

The book is well thought out, has beautiful illustrations and would be great for use in the classroom.

This is another brilliant addition to this series – even as an adult I look out for the next book in the series being released and I have to say I was delighted when I saw who this new release featured - one of my favourite authors!

I love the images in this series and this is a delightful introduction to Charles Dickens the very talented, much loved and influential Victorian author who used his childhood experiences to write some of the most highly regarding classic novels of all time such as Oliver Twist and A Christmas Carol

This series is an excellent introduction to some of the well-known, and less well-known people that have had a great impact in our lives through a variety of areas and I loved that this one showed the realities of what could happen in the Victorian period with Charles being made to work in a factory at a very young age to support his family after his father was sent to a debtors prison.

I love the variety of people chosen and the mix of backgrounds that they have too and that there is an equal mix of genders and ethnic backgrounds too – literally everyone can be embraced by this series

It is 5 stars from me for this one – a delightful read and one I will be very highly recommending!

I really enjoyed getting to share with my daughter the story of Charles Dickens. There were a few aspects of this book that she didn't understand and I had to explain to her. It shows that things weren't always easy for Dickens and that he suffered setbacks before going on to become a famous author. She loved the idea that people were reading serialised stories, something she was keen to try her hand at. It was also good that although the book mentions The Pickwick Papers and Oliver Twist, it gives a lot more focus to A Christmas Carol, a story that my daughter was familiar with and that it had a learning aspect from this - encouraging readers to open their hearts to those who struggle.

A great introduction to the life and works of one of best Authors, Charles Dickens, for children, but maybe for adults too. Enjoyable.

We thoroughly enjoy this series and have no doubt that this particular addition will be one of our long term favourites.

Dickens’s story is very well condensed here, proving lots of titbits that beg further discussion and investigation when read to inquisitive children. There are opportunities to find out more about each of the stories mentioned as well as the text prompting discussion about different eras and developments in fashion, pastimes, technology and working conditions.

The language used throughout is well managed to simplify but also educate and intrigue. My little girl had lots of questions to ask and added some great words to her vocabulary in doing so.

Absolutely brilliant! Thank you for allowing me to review.

I absolutely adore the Little People, Big Dreams series and this book, focusing on Charles Dickens, did not disappoint. 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.

One of my favourite things about this book was the illustrations - the muted colours really suit the time period and are a fantastic way of bringing the story of Charles Dickens to life. They make the story accessible to all. The story is an inspiring and informative read.

Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC - I enjoyed learning more about this iconic figure and look forward to adding this book to my classroom bookshelf. I will also be sharing it as part of my Person of the Week work in Year 5.

Always a a pleasure reading this series of books. Whilst the Charles Dickens book might not be as bright and colourful as some of the other books in the series, his story is nicely presented in a clear and understandable way. As a parent reading to my children I always find I am learning something new from these books which is a real delight. The story of Charles Dickens, his background, upbringing and how he became a great writer is really interesting . It’s a great addition to the series and I really enjoyed reading this with my daughters.

Another great book in the little people big dreams series!

Even though this book is aimed at younger readers, I learnt a lot about Dickens from reading.
There was a lot in this book that I had no idea about. Super interesting!
The illustrations were beautiful as always.

Just can't get enough of this series!

This installment of the little people BIG DREAMS series is all about famous author Charles Dickens. I was not in the mood for picture books for a long time, so I didn't read more of this series, and I think this was the perfect one to get back into it.

I learned things I didn't know, about how he was born to rich parents who then fell down on hard luck, and thus made him see both sides of the coin. I would have liked to hear about how he actively worked in politics instead of just writing about people in poor circumstances, or that he was an avid spiritist, but I see that you can tell only so much on 32 pages. And this series always felt like a starting point, to get children hooked on the story so they might chose to pick up more books later on.

This goal will probably be achieved by this book.

In comparison to some other installments, the colour palette of this one felt muted and very appropiate to a time when the mist would get so thick we're still talking about it today.
I liked it and if I had a toddler in my life, they would be gifted this one.

The arc was provided by the publisher.