Member Reviews
Love this series, and the mix between illustrations and text! Love all the interesting facts about him and the selection of key elements of his life!
A good book for a late elementary age kiddo. A lot of good information is written in a way that they can understand. A good beginner biography.
Cohen is one of those names that I had heard but really knew nothing about the man. So I was interested to get a basic introduction to his life and that's what this book provides. With pleasant illustrations is a solid choice for the children of music fans.
I posted about this book in my Instagram stories and pointed out the page spreads that showed Cohen’s Jewish upbringing and the way it inspired his songwriting (including the sheet music to “Hallelujah.”
The book on Leonard Cohen in the Little People, Big Dreams series is yet another heartwarming, fun read. I think the books in this series are a great way of making kids read about real people and their stories, and how even reading non-fiction and biographical stuff can be fun. I read the Taylor Swift one before this, and with this particular story, I think there was something very special about Leonard's upbringing and childhood, about how he began writing poems while he was dealing with loss, and what his trajectory was, telling stories through music, writing his songs.
Something so beautiful emerged from a loss. It's definitely a big lesson and a life-affirming story for children.
Many thanks for the ARC to NetGalley and Quarto Publishing Group.
I am a huge fan of the books in this series, and love it when a new book is released, the books allow younger readers to find out more about some of the most famous, and influential people that have been around.
The book is well written, easy to read and my daughter read it with me. It is a brief overview of his life.
I knew a little about him as an adult and only really knew the one song he had so even I learnt from the book so it was a plus for me and my daughter and I will admit it did lead me to google him and find out more about his life and works.
It is 4 stars from me for this one, very highly recommended and another fabulous addition to this series. The illustrations were fabulous and brought Leonard's story to life.
Leonard Cohen by Maria Isabel Sanchez Vegara are the most wonderful books written by Little People, BIG DREAMS, and these are one of the best books you can purchase for a growing child. I have enjoyed reading these to my nephew and talking about the famous people, from designers and artists, kings and queens, to scientists and activists and then talking about the brightly illustrated pages with him.
Leonard Cohen was a inspiring singer-songwriter who shared songs of hope, love, loss, and everything that makes us human. Little Leonard grew up in Montréal, Canada. He saw beauty everywhere, from the long-stem roses in his garden to a little bird chirping on a rusty wire outside his bedroom window. And at synagogue, Leonard listened to ancient songs and stories that touched and inspired him. When he was nine, his father died, and from then on, Leonard discovered how important it was to express his feelings through art. He began writing poems and started to experiment with melodies and rhythms. He published his very first book of poetry. Then, he moved to America and began songwriting. He became one of the most iconic artists of all time in a musical career that spanned nearly fifty years! Using emotion and creativity, he touched the hearts of people around the world with his famous song ‘Hallelujah’. This powerful book features stylish and quirky illustrations and extra facts at the back, including a biographical timeline with historical photos and a detailed profile of the amazing folk musician's life
I, I should say we loved this book. All of these books have been a 5 star read. this book was no different.
I am a fan of the music of the late singer-songwriter Leonard Cohen, and was curious about a picture book biography. Apparently the series “Little People, Big Dreams” has a respectable following, but I had never heard of it. The book’s beginning tried to fit that theme, showing a few pages of Leonard at stages of youth as he became interested in poetry and song. Most of the book though followed his adult life and rise to fame. My big question is Who is the intended audience for this book? The vocabulary in the text is alternately too mature for elementary children (global, monastery) and esoteric (the Chelsea Hotel, the Greek island of Hydra). I think the book’s content would mainly interest teens and adults.
I love how the Little People Big Dreams series teaches young readers to find ways to follow their passions - for example, if like Leonard Cohen you are shy and have stage-fright you can still become a famous songwriter. I also like that it doesn't just focus on the celebrity, but the every day - that he was a husband, father, and apparently briefly a monk, as well as the writer of one of the most famous songs in history.
Hallelujah is how I know Leonard Cohen. I was delighted to see this edition of the Little People series as I knew nothing else about Leonard. This was a lovely story covering the basics of Leonards life and I feel I know much more about him now, other than he wrote and sang one of my favourite songs.
We love these little books. I love this singer so I was glad to read this one. What a terrific book about an inspirational artist. As always the illustrations are so cute!
Nagyon szeretem ezt a sorozatot és ennek az új részét is. Az illusztrációk nagyon aranyosak, illeszkednek a fiatal olvasók igényeihez. A szöveg motivál, mint mindig, alig várom, hogy a magyar verziót is olvashassam!
Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for an advance copy of this book in exchange for my honest opinion.
Oh, little Leonard Cohen! I had heard about him before, obviously, but I didn't know much about his life and what he achieved, so it was great to learn some more facts and anecdotes.
This series is truly marvellous and I am extremely glad that I get the opportunity to read this book. I LOVE this series!!
Thank you very much!
I received an advance reader copy of this book to read in exchange for an honest review via netgalley and the publishers.
I certainly have heard his name, and some of his songs, but never learned who Leonard Cohen is. Thanks to this simple biography for children, I learned who the famous singer was. And always with positive encouragement for kids, the author surely made a good example of hope and dreams that come true.
When I first told my husband that I had requested a book about Leonard Cohen for kids, he was confused about why I would request that, and also why anyone would write it. Having now read it, it's beautifully illustrated and probably largely factual, but very sanitised. I still don't know why a child would want a bio of Leonard Cohen. I guess if your child overhears you listening to his music, pays attention and want to know the history of the musician, stripped of sex, drugs and politics, this would be the book. There is an odd line, hidden on the very last page "with help from an adult, you can listen to his music on-line". Which just made the whole thing even more confusing, because if you haven't heard his music, why would you read a bio of him. Odd.
Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for giving me this e-Arc in exchange for an honest review.
Loved the illustration and writing style. Very informative. Thank you to NetGalley for the advanced reader copy! All thoughts are my own!
Concise and simple narration. Heartfelt illustrations. Informative. Lacking in emotional impact. Gentle pivotal moments. Shares a message of every person lives a different life. Encourages the pursuit of dreams. Exhibits inspiring and realistic motivations. Recommended for those looking to learn about the influence of life upon an artist. Overall, an average read.
Thank you NetGalley for the eArc and the opportunity to review Leonard Cohen.
This book serie "Little people, Big dreams" is a beautiful collection which grows by each day!
I usually have some idea who the person is whenever I read one of these books but just this moment, I had no clue who Leonard Cohen were. But boy I think that heighten my reading experience.
Not knowing meant I had to learn and that was enjoyable.
Leonard Cohen started of as an creative boy that saw beauty where others couldn't. Deeply inspired by religious pslams and music, After Lenorad lost his father at age of nine, he started to write more deeply texts and poems. Leonard had a talent for words.
And so it went on. The tale of Leonards life are summarized and easy told by illustrations and highlights.
I liked learning to know Leonard in a easy way. Biographies are usually heavy but as this is a children's book, it was easy to follow and touchable. The illustrations were cute and stimulating, easy for the eye. Creative and colourful. I loved them, keep at it Agathe!
It was a nice balans between illustrations and text, which I think is the key when it comes for children to actually read books.
I am always in awe of these little books, they are really cute and they are so enjoyable, but they also really recount so well the lives of very awesome people. I admit I didn't know a lot about Leonard Cohen, I love some of his songs, but I was never informed about his life, and this was so nice to get into. I also think it's amazing for children, since this book really shows the love for music, literature and how this boy did anything he could in order to make his dreams come true.
And now I'm going to blast "Hallelujah" all day long.
Huge fan of this series and I am glad they finally covered Leonard Cohen. I especially loved how the illustrations flowed in this book. The end short biography with photographs was a bit repetitive at times, something that I did not notice with previous books read from this series.