Cover Image: The Little Books of the Little Brontës

The Little Books of the Little Brontës

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Member Reviews

Thanks to NetGalley and the author for an ARC of this title. This book was adorable and also very fun. It led me to look more into the brontes on my own

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Many people don't realize that the Bronte children created a series of small books before going on to write some of the most well-known books in Western literature. it's easy to see the writers they will become with this title.

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I enjoy reading and sharing child friendly biographies with my grandchildren as well as colleagues and librarians. Very few children have heard of the Brontë siblings and I think that they would enjoy hearing their story. Not only that, but their works are timeless and I would like to introduce their works to younger generations. Although I have only read Jane Eyre and Wuthering Heights, I am now hoping to read others. The siblings, Charlotte, Anne, Emily and Branwell were very close after the loss of their mother and two older siblings. They loved to read their mother's books and it brought them closer to her. They also loved to write and created little books for each other. When not reading or writing they were acting out stories. What a great book to celebrate literacy and the written word. This was a short book that will only introduce the Brontës, but hopefully like the many other child friendly biographies I have read, will pique interest in learning more as well as interest in their published works. Briony May Smith illustrated this book and her illustrations were wonderful. They show the closeness of the siblings, with detail and expressions on their faces. A beautiful book in word and images.

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‘The Little Books of the Little Brontës’ by Sara O’ Leary with illustrations by Briony May Smith is a picture book about young siblings who grew up to become famous writers.

The Brontë siblings Charlotte, Branwell, Emily and Anne lived on a windswept moor and knew plenty of sadness. To survive in a somewhat confined existence, they relied on their imaginations to create stories for each other based on all the books they read. They created their own stories in tiny books that were so tiny, the adults couldn’t read them.

I really liked this picture book about siblings who could imagine better worlds. The illustrations are really great too.

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In 1820s England, Charlotte Brontë made a miniature book for her younger sister Anne. The three Brontë sisters, Charlotte, Emily, and Anne, along with their brother Branwell, love to tell stories. They had tragic childhoods, losing their mother and older sisters suddenly, but they find joy through storytelling. They grew up to become artists and storytellers.

Wuthering Heights by Emily Brontë and Jane Eyre by Charlotte Brontë are two of my favourite classic novels. They’re both tragic love stories, which makes sense after hearing about the tragedy the authors experienced in their young lives. However, this picture book doesn’t delve into that too much. This story shows the Brontë siblings as playful children, making up stories with the toys and writing mini books. There were even instructions at the back for how to make your own mini book, which I would have loved doing as a kid!

The Little Book of Little Brontës is a great children’s book for kids who love to read!

Thank you Tundra Books for providing a digital copy of this book!

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Loved introducing my little reader to this amazing picture book about sisters who had a love of story telling and amazing imaginations. Definitely a hit with my little one.

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A beautiful picture book. The Bronte children will certainly capture the attention and imagination of your little ones. The illustrations are charming. Stunning detail! A lovely introduction to the Bronte family, inspiring young readers to explore more.

WE NEED MORE PICTURE BOOKS LIKE THIS IN THE WORLD.

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"If you look through the window of this house,” the author begins, “you can see the two of them [Charlotte and Anne] there, sitting at the table. In this way, Sara O’Leary immerses the reader into the isolated and yet creative childhood of Charlotte, Bramwell, Emily, and Anne Brontë in The Little Books of the Little Brontës by Sara O’Leary (illustrated by Briony May Smith; Tundra Books, October 2023). The friendly and familiar second person tone in the present tense gives the picture book feel like historical fiction rather than a nonfiction biography, and these children immediately become creative inspirations for a young child.


An illustration from above shows the lonely family (four children and a father) at a dinner table, empty seats prominent to show the sadness of losing two sisters and a mother in the course of a year. But the book does not dwell on the sadness and tragedy of their lives, or on the wild emptiness of the moors. Rather, the text and illustrations emphasize the beauties of a creative childhood. The illustrations show light emanating from the little book created by Charlotte for Anne, and shadows on the wall have changed into parapets, dragons, and knights. The moors are a beautiful land to explore, and the smiles on the children’s faces make up for their tragedies. Details in the illustrations show the era in which they lived “many years before you were born.”

As the title suggests, the book emphasize the “little books” that the children make together to record their special stories. The author’s note at the end continues the familiar second person tone with instructions on how to make a personal “little book” oneself, and a family history timeline shows the timeframe of their short lives.

I’ve always love Jane Eyre, thanks to the discerning suggestion of my 8th grade teacher. I was not familiar with the Brontë family’s mini-books, and I would love to learn more. Maybe it’s time to read Elizabeth Gaskell’s The Life of Charlotte Brontë.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advance review copy of this book provided by the publisher via NetGalley. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

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**ARC provided by NetGalley for honest review**

The Little Books of the Little Brontës by Sara O'Leary is the historically based picture book about the childhood of the Bronte family of authors'. It tells how Charlotte, Branwell, Emily and Anne lived secluded out on the moors of England, and so only had each other and their pets for company. The story takes place not long after their mother and two other sisters passed away from disease, so the house is fairly gloomy. Luckily, they were very creative children, always making up stories and poems, and acting out plays. When they received a box of tin soldiers as a gift, they used them to create even more stories, even making tiny books for them. As they grew up, they fell in love with writing more and more until they became the famous authors they are today. The back of the book even gives instructions on how to make your own tiny book which is fun. The art in here is darker in color but still hopeful and lovely. This would be a good read for a classroom or kids who are interested in history.

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This sweet picture book follows the lives of the four Bronte siblings as they imagine and create books together. Although they've had their share of sadness after loosing their mother and two sisters, the children live in a wide world of stores and poetry, novels and ponderings. And when Branwell is gifted a box of toy soldiers, the children embark on a writing adventure that will last them all a lifetime.

The illustrations in this books are beautiful and add to the overall mood of the story. There's additional information in the back including a time line and a paper craft for creating your own book. The story is sweet and shows the resilience of the siblings. But other than that, it doesn't contain a lot of depth. This is a very brief introduction to the Bronte family and may not mean much to a younger audience.

*Disclaimer: I received a free copy of this book from the publisher. All opinions are my own.

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My thanks for the ARC goes to NetGalley and Penguin Random House Canada, Tundra Books. I'm voluntarily leaving a review.

This picture book has beautiful, warm illustrations and recounts the live of the Brontës. Instead of focusing on the tragedies, the author points out all the good things that helped them develop their story-telling abilities. There is additional back matter that goes into greater detail about who survived and who dies as children.

I deeply enjoyed this book and hope you do too.

Happy reading!

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Despite the lives of Charlotte and Anne Brontë being filled with sadness and their physical world limited to the distance they could walk, their inner worlds were boundless. They later created stories that would make them among the finest writers in English literature.

The Little Books of the Little Brontës encourages readers to understand how the siblings used their vivid imaginations to escape their surroundings, fostering empathy for those who face adversity yet find ways to cultivate joy and creativity.

Discussion Questions:
How do Charlotte and Anne use their imaginations to escape their circumstances?
Why do you think the author chose to focus on the early lives of the Brontë siblings?
How does the story portray the power of creativity and imagination?
What challenges do the Brontë siblings face, and how do they overcome them?
Why is it important to understand and appreciate the power of the imagination?
How does the story inspire you to be more creative and resilient in your own life?

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It's not often that a fan of the Bronte's can easily share that love with younger readers. This book is not just a children's book, it's the chance for all of the adult readers to build that sense of wonder that we found when first reading the Bronte novels. It's such a unique book that I don't know why it has not been done before. Thanks to Sara O'Leary for sharing her love of the Brontes too.

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Little Books of the Little Brontës by Sara O’Leary, 40 pages. PICTURE BOOK, NONFICTION. Tundra Books (Penguin Random House), 2023. $19.
Content: G
BUYING ADVISORY: EL (K-3) - OPTIONAL
AUDIENCE APPEAL: AVERAGE
The four Brontë siblings were always telling each other stories, and the first books they wrote were handmade for Branwell’s toy soldiers. But they didn’t stop there!
O’Leary gives a short history on the Brontës and the trials they faced and overcame together as they storytold together. After the short anecdote—illustrated with adorable pictures of them as children—O’Leary includes a simple book making activity. I appreciate that this book encourages children to play outside and use their imaginations, but the story itself felt purposeless.
The characters are depicted as White.
Reviewer: Carolina Herdegen

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The book cover illustration excited me and I was not let down from there. The joy of books at such a young age melts my heart. This was a charming read about using your imagination and developing incredible stories to share with others. A magically book that captures the creative, sweet innocence childhood can bring. And in this case, these storytellers grew up to keep telling stories. A wonderful introduction for little ones to meet some of the great, classic writers they will read when they are older.

While my ARC copy for kindle was not formatted in the best for viewing the illustrations as this time, I am excited to pick this one up in person later this month. The illustrations and text are sweet and I look forward to sharing with my children - if I am being honest, I hope they create their own tiny books to share. :) Thank you NetGalley and Penguin Random House Canada for this digital review copy.

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A sweet story with some great historical information on the Bronte sisters. I loved the illustrations. So idyllic.

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I first discovered Charlotte Bronte when my high school English class read Jane Eyre, and I was instantly smitten. Over the course of my college years I would read more work by the Brontes, but Jane Eyre would remain a favorite. Professors would often speak of their tragic lives, so when I discovered Sara O’Leary’s children’s book about the Bronte children I was intrigued.

O’Leary introduces the reader to the four surviving children of the Bronte family: Charlotte, Emily, Anne, and Branwell. (Their older sisters, Maria and Elizabeth, passed shortly after their mother.) We are told of the sadness in the children’s lives, but their loss is not the focus of the book: their love of stories and one another is. O’Leary crafts a beautiful story of the four children who spent their childhood reading, writing stories for one another, and playing out those fantastic tales.

The Little Book of the Little Brontes is a beautiful, heartwarming, lovely book, and I absolutely adored it. I love how O’Leary wrote about the four siblings, their love for stories, and one another. O’Leary goes above and beyond adding a “How to Make your Own Little Book” section, a timeline of the siblings, an author’s note with more historical information, and a thorough bibliography. This is a stunning book with wonderful illustrations, and I felt all the better for having read it. Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the opportunity. I look forward to pursuing more of O’Leary’s work in the future.

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I would have loved this book as a child. Beautifully illustrated, and a sweet, short story introducing the Brontës to young readers. This would also be well appreciated by adults and anyone familiar with the Brontës or looking for a little more background into their lives and childhoods.

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I am embarrassed to admit that yes, I have heard of the Brontes and their literature and that’s about it. I’ve read nothing by them and know next to nothing about them. I can’t use the excuse of living in the states and not the UK as a valid reason either. Their literature is quite well known over here as well.

In this beautifully illustrated children’s book we meet the 4 children, and the father makes a very brief appearance bringing gifts to the children returning home after traveling.

This is a nonfiction book and though it is informative I will now be doing more of an Indepth research into the children, their lives and their family.

I see the children had two elder sisters and their mother who passed all within a close time due to tuberculosis.

It sounds like the children didn’t have many friends outside of themselves and their family. Making up stories and creating their own very small child sized books was a way they entertained themselves. They loved reading and would read anything they could get their hands on including literature and their mother’s bible.

The four surviving children all died young, such tragedy! Their father outlived them all.

The book is atmospheric, you can just imagine them sitting at a table making these little books with wallpaper scraps for the cover.

The Little Book of the Little Bronte’s will propel those interested in English literature and learning more about these literary greats to do your own research. I will definitely be doing this.

Children have not only the opportunity to learn the basics about this family history, but it includes instruction on making your own book. Who knows this may interest some to continue on to becoming a published author.

I was given a complimentary copy of this book. All opinions expressed are my own.

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The Little Books of the Little Brontes is a sweet, charming story and a perfect book the little person in your life.


Goodness, this book is fantastic. I loved reading the classic novels that the Bronte sisters have written. They are just so powerful and unforgettable. I adored this idea of exposing young readers to these incredible literary figures. When I saw this book on NetGalley, I was interested to see how Sarah would tell the story of the Bronte sisters to young readers. First, the pictures are spectacular. They are so engaging and lush, and I couldn’t help but spend time exploring all the wonderful details that they had. Their tone gives off a historical vibe and helps transport readers to the time when the Bronte siblings were children.

The story itself is fabulous. The writing is smart but simple enough that young readers will be able to comprehend what they are reading. Sarah has done a marvellous job at bringing the story of the Bronte children to life. There is this great balance of historical facts and whimsical storytelling.

Overall, The Little Books of the Little Brontes is a fabulous and thoughtful picture book that is a must for anyone who loves the literary works of the Bronte sisters.

Thank you, Penguin Random House Canada, for the arc in exchange for an honest review.

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