Very brief look at the life of singer Freddie Mercury. I was hoping for a little more insight in the life and career. I also was not a huge fan of the illustrations.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for a copy of this book for review.

I received a digital arc of this book.

I LOVE this book series. It is also a favorite of my students and the teachers at my school. This is a great addition to the series.

One of those bands that my dad loves and ingrained in me since I was little, Freddie Mercury's name is not a new thing. I know so many of their songs, but just recently browse to read more about this person. He was a talented musician, who created so many songs that move people. And this is his story, that encourage us to live fabulously as he did.

I was very excited when I heard that this was going to be an addition to my favourite picture book series, as I think Freddie Mercury's story is really inspirational and a great one to expose young readers to. As always, this writing is brought to life by vibrant illustrations which makes the story really inviting. Freddie Mercury's rise to fame is brought to life in such an exciting way, and iconic moments from his career are shown through these colourful illustrations. Equally, the tough themes surrounding his death aren't shied away from whilst still being brought to life in a way with young readers in mind- the story doesn't feel inappropriate at any point. This arguably ambitious book is written so well, and I implore you to read it with any young people in your life!

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for providing me with an advanced ebook copy of this title!

Whenever I think I already know everything there is to know about a celebrity, one of these books comes a long and wags a finger at me. How lovely is the way this illustrator chose to draw Freddie Mercury's teeth???

Freddie Mercury is an excellent addition to this series, although I feel that this book glossed over a lot of things. More than I noticed in previous books.

Freddie's sexuality, for instance. "Then, one day, he met Jim, and they were together forever after." To me that's glossing over things more than necessary, even for a kids book. Kids can handle mention of sexuality. I know he did not choose to label his sexuality publicly, but it seems fairly well-known that he dated both men and women, whichever label he would have chosen. And yes, you can read that into the wording used here, but it feels like it's also easy to miss it.

That aside, this did provide a good overview of his life and the way Queen was formed. I also like that it does not shy away from including that he died of AIDS. I did find it interesting and enjoyable overall, and learned a few things I didn't know.

I would recommend this to elementary-school kids.

*Thanks to NetGalley, Quarto Books, and Francis Lincoln Children's Books for providing an early copy for review.

Going through a Freddie Mercury phase at the moment and this is a must read for any Queen fan. His music will live on and one of the World's greatest performers will never die.
(thanks to Net Galley for this Wonderful Book).

Freddie Mercury is another new addition to the Little People, Big Dreams series by Maria Isabel Sanchez Vegara. I really enjoyed this children's book as I actually knew nothing about Freddie's childhood, other than his real name. I did not know he was from Zanzibar (Tanzania) or that he went to boarding school in India before his family moved to England. It just shows how great these educational books are for kids as they are teaching me something too! This book has bright, fun illustrations and is a nice tribute to Freddie. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for my digital copy.

Another brilliant installment in the Little People, Big Dreams series! This book is almost as vivid as the beloved musician Freddie Mercury. The illustrations come right off the page with bright colors and amazing fashion. The reader learns not only about his musical career but also of those he loved, including his 10 cats. Many adults will also enjoy this book as fans of the band Queen! I certainly will be buying a copy too.

Thank you to Netgalley for a copy of this title for review.

I loved how sensitively Freddie's life story was told starting with his origins in Zanzibar and India, his education, moving to London and meeting the members and forming Queen. Both Mary Austin and Jim Hutton make an appearance in the book.
A cure introduction to Queen.

My Rating: 3.5 out of 5 stars.

Received for review: I received an advanced copy of this novel from the publisher in exchange for my honest opinion. I was not obligated to write a good review, nor did I receive any compensation for writing this review.

Why did I decide to turn the pages? I have enjoyed this series. When presented with the opportunity to review it, I jumped at the chance.

My Overall Thoughts/Impressions: I learned a lot through reading this one that I hadn't known before. Queen is so popular, but too few know the story behind the band. There were a lot of interesting themes addressed very quickly in this one. Not too quickly to be problematic, but quickly enough to alert the reader to what happened without a deep dive. This book does mention Freddie's bout with AIDs and his relationship with his partner in a very age-appropriate way.

I enjoyed how Maria distilled the information so quickly and expertly.

So why 3.5 stars? I learned a lot, and I think kids would, too, which pumps this up to a 3.5. An enjoyable series. I'll continue to keep an eye out on this series.

Pages: about 32.

Reading age: 4-7.

My grandson has several of this series of books. Important people we feel he should know about as he grows. This will be added to his collection. I even learned something from this book! I thought I pretty much knew Freddie Mercury’s story having grown up at the same time as him and always being a big Queen fan - but I was wrong! I never knew he had four extra teeth and that he thought this was the reason for his extraordinary vocal range. This is a lovely book, simply telling Freddie’s story in a matter of fact, but inspiring way. At the age of 62 I feel glad I have read it and I can’t say that about many books!

With thanks to the author, publishers Quarto Publishing Group, and NetGalley for providing me with a digital ARC of this book in exchange for my honest and unbiased review.

I really enjoy the “Little People, Big Dreams” series of books. The people chosen to cover are always interesting and, while obviously aimed at younger audiences, I have often found little nuggets that I was not aware of and so also find them educational. I also appreciate how each book in the series has a more detailed biographical section about the subject at the end, often with suggestions for further reading to find more information.

This installment in the series was no exception to all of the above. I was happy to see that some of the aspects of Freddie's life that were controversial at the time were not excluded from the story, and instead were spoken about as openly and naturally as the rest of his history. The illustrations were also great, and brought the story to life.

Top marks from me!

I'm not familiar with this series of books, and I don't know how factual this information was. But it's mostly the illustrations that bothered me. I just wasn't a fan of those.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the free copy in exchange for this honest review.

Yet another excellent addition to the Little People, Big Dreams series. I was interested to see how the book would cover some of the more "taboo" topics that surround Freddie and make it age appropriate for little ones but I was impressed how simply put his personal relationships, true love with Jim and even his AIDS diagnosis was handled. While these were certainly not the focus, they are an important part of Freddie's story and they prompt great conversations with your little ones. As always, this book features bright and vibrant illustrations, little personal facts that I was even surprised to learn, and I believe it told his life story really well. Having had the opportunity to interview one of Freddie's closest friends about 9 years ago, I am always eager to see his talent shared and I love that this rock legend will continue to live on, in the minds of our tiny ones.

I love books that teach pop culture topics in a simple way for children. I have always loved the series where rock stars are featured, and love reading them to the little ones in my life. I particularly like this one because I enjoy to illustrations as much as I enjoy the content. I can't wait to see more books like this in the future.

The “Little People, Big Dreams” books are such a fun way to introduce young readers to the trailblazers before them in areas like music and activism. The content and the illustrations are both great! Highly recommend this for the little readers in your life!

Given that I read my last children’s book when I was… well, a child, it’s no surprise that I previously hadn’t heard of the “Little People, BIG DREAMS” series, but you know what? Sign me tf up to whatever list I need to be signed up to to hear more about this.

I’m a big Queen and Freddie fan, so my main reason for picking this up was my interest in how the author and illustrator would tell Freddie Mercury’s life in a way that was suitable for children without leaving out the most important facts and milestones. I was most worried about how they would handle his sexuality, fearing that it would try to undermine his queerness, but I really shouldn’t have worried. It was beautifully handled.

With 30 pages, the book is what I would deem an average length for a children’s book and yet there was all the information in there kids would need to get to know one of the most famous rock stars who ever lived.

It talks about his growing up in Zanzibar, that he was born with a set of four extra teeth which he claimed were the reason for his impressive four-octave vocal range and the founding and success of Queen. It also talks about AIDS as his cause of death, “his first and only girlfriend, Mary” and that once he had met Jim, “they were together forever after” which is simply BEAUTIFUL.

The illustrations accompanying the text are simple but pretty and very colourful. I loved how inclusive they were, too. Whenever there were drawings of his fans, people of all skin colours, shapes, and sizes were represented. The cover speaks for itself, too, showcasing one of Freddie’s most iconic looks!!

I would definitely read this book to my future nieces and nephews.

I was very happy with this book. I am a huge Queen and Freddie fan. So when I received this NetGalley ARC I was thrilled!

For anyone who has read these specific books, you understand they tell the person's story as it is, in the most child-friendly way possible. They also do not hide or cover things up. For example, Freddie had AIDS, which is included in his story here. It doesn't go into any deep details, the story mentions it because it was a big part of Freddie Mercury's story.

The illustrations are done incredibly, as always.

This is a must have for any Queen fans and their kids!

Thank you NetGalley for letting me read this book. I learn so much from reading these books and I really believe it’s perfect for younger children. I love these.