I had never known about Yayoi Kusama before reading this picture book. I loved the illustrations and its nod to her artwork. It handled the topic of mental health issues sensitively.

This simple and accessible biography touches on so many themes in so few words. Reading it is like getting a tiny bite of an intriguing story, leaving you hungry for more. I suspect many readers will go on to read other books about the amazing Yayoi Kusama, and they will search to find her brilliant art. I liked how the issue of mental health was dealt with in a forthright way, and how it was made clear that Yayoi's mental health challenges also gave her extraordinary creative ability. The biographer handles Yayoi's troubled childhood with matter-of-fact empathy.
This book will appeal to young readers who feel that they are different, and also to readers who are passionate about art. Many young readers will find themselves in these pages.

Book Overview: Yayoi Kusama by Maria Isabel Sanchez Vegara
Part of the beloved Little People, BIG DREAMS series, this inspiring children’s biography introduces readers to Yayoi Kusama, one of the most influential contemporary artists in the world. Through vibrant illustrations and accessible storytelling, Maria Isabel Sanchez Vegara captures Kusama’s unique journey from a young girl with a dream to an icon who forever changed the art world.

What Makes This Book Special?
Empowering Storyline
Kusama’s life story is one of perseverance, creativity, and embracing individuality. The book emphasizes her courage to follow her artistic passion despite societal expectations and personal struggles, offering an uplifting message for young readers.

Mental Health Awareness
The book tactfully addresses Kusama's experiences with mental health challenges, highlighting her bravery in speaking openly about them. This portrayal helps normalize conversations about mental health for children in an age-appropriate way.

Captivating Illustrations
The quirky and colorful artwork mirrors the vibrant and surreal style of Kusama’s own creations, helping young readers connect with her artistic vision.

Engaging Extras
At the end of the book, readers will find a biographical timeline, historical photos, and additional facts about Kusama's life and career. These details deepen the learning experience, making the book an excellent resource for educators and parents alike.

Key Themes
Creativity and Self-Expression
Kusama’s story celebrates the power of art as a means to express individuality and emotions.
Resilience
Despite facing obstacles—including her family’s disapproval and struggles with mental health—Kusama persevered, ultimately achieving global recognition.
Breaking Boundaries
From her immersive installations to her public art, Kusama challenged the norms of the art world and redefined what art could be.
Why Kids Will Love It
Relatable Childhood
Kusama’s love of art as a child mirrors the experiences of many young readers who enjoy drawing, painting, and dreaming.
Whimsical Dots and Colors
Her fascination with dots and endless patterns is both playful and intriguing, sparking imagination.
A Role Model for Dreamers
Kusama’s story shows kids that embracing their uniqueness can lead to extraordinary achievements.
Who Is This Book For?
Young readers (ages 4–10) who enjoy inspiring true stories.
Parents, teachers, and librarians seeking diverse role models to share with children.
Fans of the Little People, BIG DREAMS series looking to expand their collection.
Final Thoughts
The Yayoi Kusama installment of Little People, BIG DREAMS is a vibrant and inspiring tribute to an artist who dared to see the world differently. By celebrating Kusama’s life and achievements, this book not only educates but also encourages children to dream big, embrace creativity, and find strength in their uniqueness.

Rating: 5/5
A beautiful, empowering addition to any child’s library.

Yayoi Kusama, written by Maria Isabel Sanchez Vegara and illustrated by Ryoko Ichikawa, is another brilliant biography for children by Little People, BIG DREAMS. This biography features information about Kusama’s struggles in her upbringing, with her mental health and her struggles finding her place in the art world. It describes her journey with her art and explains that everyone and anyone can make impact with their art.

I love the bright colors in the illustrations of this book! The simple way of explaining Yayoi’s difficulties with her family and her own mental health while showing how she shared her art to the world is great for introducing young children to this artist. In my work with fellow pre-teachers, we introduce a famous artist to our students each month and have the children create art in the style that artist used. It is difficult to find books that are more simplistic to talk about the artists with children so young. This book is better than most I’ve come across and I would gladly purchase it for my class! I will have to check out more books including this adorable series.
Thank you to Netgalley for an ARC of this book. All opinions in this review are my own.

I was delighted to be afforded an advanced reading copy from the publisher via the wonderful site NetGalley. This series of Little People, Big Dreams are truly inspiring.

Some books immediately appeal to me as I already know something of the life depicted and their celebrity status. There are others, like this one was for me, that of a person I hadn’t come across before. This balance of subject matter keeps this collection of books relevant and an important record of famous lives we can all be enriched learning about.

It has never been a struggle nor a chore to read and provide a honest review in due course.

Yayoi Kusama is an artist from Japan who succeeded despite a lack of parental encouragement. In some ways she is an exception to the children in this collection of books. Nearly all seem to have been coached and encouraged by family or education. Yayoi had a special talent and loved drawing but her unique approach to art, despite some formal training was not initially appreciated or universally accepted. Yet her determination and self-belief are wonderful examples of preserving and a dedication to one’s talent. She embraced her own mental health difficulties and her success is all the more amazing in consequence.

I love the simple text and engaging colourful illustrations that enhance the story and maintain one’s interest.

To take a simple life and simply share how one can overcome many obstacles and setbacks makes this an inspirational book.

Thank you NetGalley and Quarto Publishing Book for the early read!

Was excited to see a Japanese artist featured in this children’s book. The art work in this was great and engaging. I do understand this book was geared towards children, but I did find the some of the phrasing odd in the text.

I learn something new with each of these engaging and informative short biography picture books, that we share with our young children. The whimsical illustrations in this book are delightful and reflective of Yayoi Kusama’s artwork. This book mentions mental health challenges in an accessible way and has sparked further conversations.
The timeline and extra facts at the end of the book is wonderful for further discussion and exploration.

Another wonderful addition to the Little People, Big Dreams series!

Many thanks to Quarto Publishing Group for the digital review copy via NetGalley. All opinions expressed are my own.

I really enjoy reading this series with my son especially when it's someone we don't know about prior to reading the book. I had never heard of Yayoi Kusama before and enjoyed finding out about her life.

Fascinating introduction to the intriguing artist. As always, this series gives you brief, concise introductions with facts, timeline, and a well paced biography. I did not know much about this artist, but her life and work is fascinating and it is an enjoyable introduction.

I love the books in this series and always find something new in them.

This was a book that focused on Yayoi Kusama, an Artist.

This series is often focused on people that are well known but I have to admit that I had not heard of Yayoi Kusama before so the book was one that intrigued me.

In this book we get to read a little about her early life and her passion for painting despite the influences from her parents who did not wish for her to follow this, in fact the book does tell you that her mother actually destroyed her work when she was young - that was how much they didn't support her.

Yayoi suffered from mental health issues and hallucinations and she said it was these hallucinations that inspired her to see the world in a different way, dots. The book and Yayoi's story shows us that even the tiniest dot is not too small to make an impact.

Lovely images and another great addition to the series - it is 4 stars from me for this one - highly recommended!

I think this book may be one of my favourites that I have read in this series which is high praise as I love the Little People, Big Dreams series. The illustrations in this book made it really stand out to me and I loved her vibrant and colourful they were whilst also reflecting Yayoi Kusama's art style. I hadn't heard of Kusama before reading this and found it a clear, concise and interesting summary of her life and art work. As always I love that there is a biography, photo gallery and book recommendations at the back which makes this book interesting for an older reader as well as its younger target audience.

Overall this is definitely a contender for my favourite book in this series and I especially loved the illustrations!

I hadn’t heard of Yayoi Kusama before this book, but I’m sure I have seen her distinctive art and her influence on others, and although this is a book aimed at children, I learnt a bit about her life and ended up looking up more details, so it certainly sparked curiosity in me!

The wonderful art in this book means that it’s perfect and mesmerising for young children, and as they get slightly older, the messages and lessons shine through - I liked the emphasis on following your dreams and the statement that “everything, big and small, is connected”.

There are certainly dark aspects to her life story, which I think the book deals with well - not glossing over her poor treatment by her parents or spells in hospital, but not losing the joy and inspiration of the tale. Definitely recommend this one!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC.

As a huge fan of both the Little People, Big Dreams series as well as Yayoi Kusama, I was thrilled to see a book in the series dedicated to her.
As always, María Isabel Sánchez Vegara did a wonderful job connecting all the dots (ha!) in Yayoi Kusama's life and explain it in a way that caters to children and adults alike. The illustrations are equally lovely.

One thing I love these books is often times you are learning about people in history right along with your kids! I hate to say that I didn’t know much about Yayoi Kusama before reading this but I’m so glad my daughter and I had the chance to read this together. She is very interested in art and loves to read about how people became known for their talent. Hearing Kusamas struggle as a child and adult led to a great conversation. The illustrations were beautiful as always.