Some children may well be inspired to 'follow their dream' by realizing what David Hockney achieved by following his. He became a world renowned artist cum painter. I felt the authoress wished to emphasize Hockney's sexual orientation; that is, he was gay.

All said and done, I was not overly impressed by this non-fiction children's book despite the brightly colored illustrations and the true nature of the biography. The narrative simply did not hold my interest. Thus, I only pledge 3 stars for this work.

~Eunice C., Reviewer/Blogger~

February 2023

Disclaimer: This is my honest opinion based on the complimentary review copy sent by NetGalley and the publisher.

I continue to love this series of biographies written for younger readers. The story of this living artist is told fairly simply. He knew he wanted to be an artist when young and gets into a prestigious London art school. It does include that he didn’t hide his sexuality even when it is illegal. His works are of friends, pools and pets etc using varieties of mediums. And of course when one of his paintings sold for 90 million dollars it was the highest amount ever paid for a work by a living artist. I’ve see his works at multiple museums and yet he is an artist I don’t think children will know. I appreciated learning about David Hockney. Thank you to NetGalley and Quarto Publishing Group - Frances Lincoln Children’s Books for a temporary ARC in exchange for a review.

It's so good to have easier to read books about artists. You can introduce the art work to the kids, and if they like it, they will be interested in reading the book.

Having long been a fan of David Hockney's art, I was excited to see this book in the Little People Big Dreams series. The illustration is adorable. But this book is so much more than being an adorable biography of an iconic artist. It puts his life and work in context. It helps readers understand how art evolves with the society that it comes from.

The ARC of this book was provided by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

The ‘My First Little People, Big Dreams’ series provides informative and inspirational biographies about people who left a mark on this earth, no matter what difficulties they have encountered.
These stories are very short, but that’s because they’re books for children, so it’s totally understandable.
I think they are a very smart and wonderful way to introduce little children to such important figures. This little book here tells the story of David Hockney, the great British artist. His passion for art has been his greatest companion since he was a little child. He went to art school and did everything he could to improve his drawing skills. His work is so colorful and full of life, reflecting his passion. I'm so happy children have the chance to read about him and get to know his amazing works.

Seriously, without this series, I never would have heard of David Hockney. This book touches on some subjects that could be difficult for some, but in such a way that made it just flow with the story. It was also not the focus of the story, which made it even flow better because it was just fact that was mentioned and then the story continued on! David Hockney is an amazing artist, which is showcased in this book amongst the beautiful graphics. His art and his inspiration could be shown in so many ways, but this series did it in a way that was unique and beautiful all at the same time. I especially love how the story broke down some barriers about how David was expected to do one thing and then he followed his own path - this is inspirational!

Thanks for the opportunity to review this ARC!

My young boys and I love the Little People, Big Dreams series. I didn't know much about David Hockney myself so I'm always pleasantly surprised when I learn things from children's books. We learned all about Mr. Hockney, from his childhood in England to his moving to L.A. He became a successful and innovative art pioneer. The illustrations were childlike and colorful.

I highly recommend this book for early readers and classrooms.

Thank you to NetGalley and Quarto Publishing Group – Frances Lincoln Children's Books for allowing me to be an early reader. All opinions are my own.

As a big fan of these books, I love to see which new ones are becoming available for future readers. This one tells the story of Northern artist David Hockney, from his humble beginnings in Bradford to becoming an artist of world renown.

This book was lovely to read, educational and informative. I now know more about Hockney from reading this book than I’ve known before!

Thank you NetGalley for allowing me to read and review.

I will admit to not knowing anything about David Hockney before reading this book - so it was the perfect starter to being introduced to his work. He seems to be a very interesting and accomplished artist and the story is well done. The illustrations are very colorful and vibrant = which should continue to capture the attention of young readers and gives them plenty of detail to absorb.

It's not my favorite of the Little People, Big Dreams that I've read, but it's definitely a solid addition to the group of stories and a great addition to kids bookshelves.

The illustrations were noticeably different from other books I've read, but it's still pretty & fitting. I got to know an amazing artist I never heard before, so it's fun!

David Hockney is an ideal person to add to the Little People, Big Dreams series.
It's important that our younger readers learn about some pivotal artists who have not only helped shape how we view art but also how we view people.
David Hockney loves to reinvent how we view art and he is known for being one of Britain's most important artists.
The illustrations that accompany the book are quirky and bright, just like David's work.

This is an inspiring story of how David became an artist and how he stood up for his right to love who he wants.

A great book, part of a great series regarding famous artists, scientists etc. when they were kids. I loved the art in this book and I learnt a lot about Hockney! I would suggest it to every parent or teacher of young children!

I thought this was a cute little book with colourful pictures. It gives a very simple breakdown of Hockney's life.

It would have been improved if there were some images of Hockney's work but I am guessing they didn't for copyright issues.

The Little People, BIG DREAMS series introduces young and old to the early lives and motivations of people who have made a difference in the world. This minibiography is of a man who determined at an early age to make art his life's work. And he did! Another excellent addition to the series!
The illustrations by Ana Albero are fun, simple, colorful, and delightful.
Well suited for reading WITH someone of any age including ESL, and great for gifting to anyone, but especially to a school or public library!
I requested and received a free temporary e-book on Adobe Digital Editions from Quarto Publishing Group/Frances Lincoln Children's Books via NetGalley. Thank you!

What a beautiful, beautiful book! About an artist who knew he wanted to be an artist since he was a little boy, who went to art school, learned to be very good at what he does, and who was also brave and courageous for his time to not live in the closet because of not being heterosexual. He lives his authentic life bold and unique and keeps shining bright. There really should be way more books like this, about real people who are doing great in life by doing exactly what they were meant to do and by being their own authentic selves.

I hate to say this but I didn’t know who David Hockney was until I read this book. The illustrations are bright and colourful just like how they describe David’s art. I’m glad to see the mention of David being apart of the LGBTQ+ community and how at that time not everyone was accepting of him being gay.

This is another great addition to the series. Thank you to NetGalley and Quarto Publishing Group – Frances Lincoln Children's Books for the advanced copy in exchange for my review.

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.

My Overall Thoughts/Impressions: I've enjoyed all of Maria's books in this series, and this one was no exception. Maria does a great job of bringing people's stories to life quickly and in an easily accessible way.

I thought she did a great job discussing David's background and his accomplishments.

Pages: 32 pages.

Reading age: Age 4-7.

Love,

Danica Page

I received a free copy of, David Hockney, by Maria Isabel Sanchez, Vegara, from the publisher and Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. I have never heard of David Hockney before I read this book. David always knew he wanted to be an artist from a young age, moving from London to LA, to further his passion. At 80 years old he has no plans to slow down. An inspiring book for young people.

Another great addition to the series. I first want to say thank you to the author for not shying away from including his sexuality and incorporating it into the book allowing kids to learn that love is love. Although I was aware of Hockney as a painter I wasn't aware that he used different mediums such as photography so that was fun to learn about. Perfect inspiration for all future artists!

I’m not an art connoisseur by any means, but I like to think I frequent museums every so often. And yet I didn’t know who David Hockney was until this book. To be fair, for someone that loves Scandinavian minimalism in decor, I don’t like a lot of modern art. I was eager to learn about David’s story. Glad they included LGBTQIA+ in this.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher