I'm struggling to understand why the author thought Leonard Cohen, a man whose writings famously mingled spirituality and sensuality, would be a good subject for a book aimed at very young children.

Skip this one and let kids discover Cohen when they're old enough to appreciate his genius.

Received via NetGalley.

Leonard Cohen
by Maria Isabel Sanchez Vegara
Pub DateAug 06 2024
Quarto Publishing Group – Frances Lincoln Children's Books |Frances Lincoln Children's Books
Biographies & Memoirs| Children's Nonfiction



Netgalley and Quarto Publishing Group-Frances Lincoln Children's Books have provided me with a copy of Leonard Cohen's book:


Little Leonard grew up in Montréal, Canada, and enjoyed exploring his surroundings. There was beauty in things that others might miss, such as roses with too-long stems or birds chirping on a rusty wire. Visiting the synagogue was also a source of wonder for him. In awe of the songs and stories, Leonard listened to their messages and timeless narratives.


When Leonard was nine, his father sadly passed away. During the process of dealing with the loss, he began writing poetry, and quickly realized how important it was for him to use art as a way to express himself. He spent his adult life in London and Greece seeking poetic inspiration, but eventually settled in New York City, which influenced him to begin writing songs. His haunting melodies and powerful lyrics quickly made him a household name.



With a music career that lasted almost fifty years, Leonard became one of the world's most iconic artists through his beautiful ballad, Hallelujah. 


I give Leonard Cohen five out of five stars!


Happy Reading!

I love engaging and short. biographies that can help kids fall in love with curiosity about others. This fits the bill.

Short and sweet, it details the life of Leonard Cohen. I learned a ton and am glad to have read this book.

Thank you to Net Galley and Quarto Publishing Group- Francis Lincoln Children's Books for the eARC!

📱E-Book Review📱

Leonard Cohen
Maria Isabel Sanchez Vegara

🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟

This is one of the books in the Little People, Big Dreams series which I've seen absolutely everywhere, but only just started working my way through! (I know ....where have I been!?)

Now, this one really appealed to me because I recognised the name and felt, oh, I know this person - but could not bring one thing to mind as to why I recognised the name!!
Is it just me?

I had in my head that maybe he was something to do with playwrighting?
But of course, I was totally wrong!

Leonard Cohen started off as a poet - similar theme, but I never knew this at all!
He went on to write song lyrics and music and was a star for well over half his life!
Most famously, writer of the most covered angel ever, Hallelujah!

I found this fascinating, moreso because I now actually know that I can relate the name to his achievements.

This was a super quick read - full of information - but told in a way that was interesting and fun.
The illustrations were great too, with lots of detail to look at and prompt discussion with younger readers.

This series is actually amazing and I really must add more to my tbr - there are over 100 books in the series already and, like this one, many more still being added.

Great for school libraries, classroom learning, home education shelves and for any of us adults who just love reading!



💕Thank you to the author, publisher and NetGalley for my ARC copy - this is my honest review 💕

Leonard Cohen was such a beautiful soul and this children's book does a wonderful job of highlighting his biggest attributes. It's a good introduction for kids who are listening to his music with their grown-ups and sharing in that love of Leonard together. It's also a good reminder that even the great Leonard Cohen was once a child and struggled with things along the way... we're all human.

I adore this series and so does my god-daughter - the diverse and talented group of people featured is wonderful and the illustrations are gorgeous.
Unlike the last couple of books I have bought for her from this series, Leonard Cohen is someone I think a lot of little girls wouldn’t have heard of (Simone Biles and Taylor Swift being more modern icons) but I think the emphasis on creativity, poetry and recognising the beauty in everything is an important lesson. Overall, I’d give this four stars and really appreciated the chance to read an advance copy on NetGalley.

I really appreciate that Little People, Big Dreams doesn't just focus on all the megastars. This book is a wonderful story about Leonard Cohen. Most children probably have not heard of him, but he led an interesting life that could open up possibilities for young children to consider after reading this book.

I went into this book not knowing exactly how Leonard Cohen came to be the poet and songwriter I know him as, and I love how the book hit the highlights of his life! It gave me just enough facts to want to know more (who knew he was a zen monk?!) about Leonard Cohen. Would recommend this to any Leonard Cohen fan!

Absolutely charming. I had no idea Cohen was a poet! I'd love to give this to kids, especially the dreamy artistic ones. My only grumble was about the drawing of the men in synagogue - no tallis is that short!

Love this series, these books are so well written and so good for children.
They really are bringing important people of the past in this case to life for the new generation.

Despite always having appreciated his music, I knew very little about Leonard Cohen as a person going into this book. This was a delightful way to be introduced to his life story, and I felt I learnt quite a lot about his background and career. The art style fit the subject well - I especially liked the combination of neutrals and bright colours. I felt myself really pausing to appreciate the details of each page.
4.5 stars rounded up to 5.

Maria Isabel Sanchez Vegara truly did something amazing with the Little People Big dreams series! I love each and every book and this one is no exception!!

A beautiful graphic biography of Leonard Cohen depicting his life and legacy for younger audience. Easy, short read not going into too many details with beautiful images of places and people. Definitely gives the urge to read the rest of the "Little People, BIG DREAMS" series to know about more legends without having to read pages and pages of life story.

Another great addition to this series, allowing children to learn the stories of different famous people and how they achieve their dreams
This series is really popular and I will be glad to add this to the collection.

Another beautiful addition to this great series to introduce children to famous people. Simple storytelling but still informative. Lovely illustrations too

#LeonardCohen #NetGalley

This book is part of the Little People Big Dreams series. This is a hard one for me to review. It IS important to teach young'ens about Leonard Cohen... However, this seems to go a little in depth for young minds. It will definitely stir up some questions with the vocab and people referenced.
I guess if it piques the interest of a kid that has the ability to do some follow up research on Cohen then it's a win. I just think that it's not a famous enough person to warrant this children's version. Leonard Cohen was popular even before my time and my only reference is "Hallelujah" the song.
As always in this series, the drawings are amazing.

I usually love these books but this one felt very short and limited on information compared to the others.

This was a wonderful biography with beautiful illustrations. I teach elementary school and this would be a great resource for introduction to biographies and research projects. I appreciated the timeline in the back with photographs as well. Wonderful little book! I will be seeking out more from this author to add to my personal and classroom library!

Another heartwarming entry in the series. Leonard Cohen seems like a gentle soul and someone to look up to.

Once again, the Little People Big Dreams series has educated me on the life of someone I knew but didn’t really know. I think most people, including kids, have heard a version of “Hallelujah” by Leonard Cohen, but knowing that song and knowing the soul behind the individual that wrote something so hauntingly beautiful…well that’s art.

From his life as a young dreamer in Canada to his late life as a zen Monk, the gorgeous illustrations and powerful words show us a life well lived in the persist of art and of getting one’s feelings out via the spoken word.

I cannot wait to add this newest addition to our growing home library!