Cover Image: Mahatma Gandhi

Mahatma Gandhi

Pub Date:   |   Archive Date:

Member Reviews

Like other books in this series, it is a fun little introduction to inspiring people. Definitely a great way to introduce kids to biographies and a nice read for adults too. I would recommend all the books in this series.

Was this review helpful?

Perfect book for a child, its got graphics and the story for them to understand and enjoy. It’s a very short story of Gandhi , and that they want you to buy some of their collection of books. Amazing to teach then who all these important people are in the world.

Was this review helpful?

Another great children's storybook that narrates the amazing life of one of the famous figure. Mahatma Gandhi's life is a huge inspiration that can greatly influence young readers, which hopefully they will be inspired to follow his perseverance.

I could finally start to collect the printed version of some of the earlier published books in this Little People, Big Dreams series because they are already available here in my country. I'm looking forward to collect all the other books because these are just not for young kids, but adults will definitely love this series.

Was this review helpful?

The Little People Big Dreams series are always great, and I'd always happily recommend any and all of them to customers. I'm yet to find one I don't like and they offer a great introduction to some fascinating people for kids (and in some cases adults too!).

Was this review helpful?

Could give more information about Gandhi. However I did enjoy it overall and the illustrations were enjoyable. Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for this digital review copy.

Was this review helpful?

Mahatma Gandhi by Maria Isabel Sanchez Vegara explores the life of a man who would become known as the father of India. Born Mohandas Gandhi, from a young age, he was a bit of a rebel, bucking against his parents' beliefs and values. (What child doesn't?) As an adult, he recognized the benefit of those beliefs and values. Gandhi saw the injustices Empire had wrought in his country, and began to lead peaceful protests with the goal of ending British rule. His actions helped free and unite the country, earning him the name Mahatma, meaning 'great soul'. The end of the book contains a more detailed look at Gandhi's life, using language suited for much older readers. Inspirational and educational both, this entire series is great! I read this with my cubs. We love this series! Highly recommended!

***Many thanks to the Netgalley & Quarto Publishing for providing an egalley in exchange for a fair and honest review.

Was this review helpful?

This is an excellent series. The people written about in the series aren't your run of the mill children's biography subjects. But they are all intriguing people and make for interesting reading. The illustrations are going to appeal to the kids as well. These books are a good way to broaden their horizons.

Was this review helpful?

Simplistic introduction to the life of a man revered by many. I usually love this series, but I found this tome lacking.

Was this review helpful?

4★
“And Mahatma, the little boy with the very big heart, gave a single lesson to those who hope for a brighter future: sometimes, the power of peace is greater than the power of force.”

*My Goodreads review has an illustration captioned: Little Mohandas playing while his mother spins

This is a very brief summary of the life of one of the world’s greatest activists for non-violent resistance. It touches on only a very few parts of his life but could serve as the basis for more story-telling if children seem interested.

Gandhi’s mother taught him to be honest and to care for all living things. At 19, he went to England to study and had to learn English ways.

*My Goodreads review has an illustration captioned: Gandhi having tea in England

He then went to South Africa to work as a lawyer, and quickly learned that he wasn’t allowed to mix with whites. He decided to protest against injustice and began a silent sit-in in the street. He was joined by others, but he certainly wasn’t appreciated by the authorities!

*My Goodreads review has an illustration captioned: Gandhi, joined by others in a peaceful protest

He stayed in South Africa for 20 years, protesting peacefully, but he wanted to go home to help India shake off the British rule.

*My Goodreads review has an illustration captioned: Gandhi disembarking into a very British India

He decides to shed his fancy lawyer’s clothing and dress like a simple man of the people. The illustrations show him seeming quite pleased with his new, modified look. I have to say, there is a real appeal about finding a basic uniform and sticking to it!

*My Goodreads review has an illustration captioned: Gandhi, checking his new look

He continued gathering a following of people who were willing to protest peacefully and join him in quiet acts of rebellion against the British. The British were not pleased and put him in jail! As his last attempt at protest, he stopped eating.

*My Goodreads review has an illustration captioned: Gandhi on a hunger strike

Of course, the government had no choice but to release him, and the crowds cheered! He went on to be called “Mahatma”, meaning “great soul”, and he’s known all over the world for his peaceful protest against injustice.

*My Goodreads review has an illustration captioned: Mahatma Gandhi, as the world came to know him, writing by his famous spinning wheel

I loved this little book with its particularly delightful illustrations. I was surprised more wasn’t shown of his famous spinning wheel. This photograph, taken in 1946 by well-known photographer Margaret Bourke-White, shows him spinning, as he did for an hour every morning at 4am, so we are told.

*My Goodreads review has an illustration captioned: Gandhi spinning

All of the illustrations include what I think is a cheery little Peace Dove. I imagine you’ll agree with me when you see this last piece of art.

*My Goodreads review has an illustration captioned: Little Mohandas Ghandi, contemplating with the birds

The last pages of the book have real photographs and a short article of about 250 words summarising his life and explaining that Britain did formally leave India and that sadly, in 1948, one of his many enemies succeeded in killing him. Just as well the illustrations finished before that.

It’s a lovely addition to the Little People BIG DREAMS series to give very young children some good food for thought. I suspect it will prompt some teachers, parents, and others to learn a bit more, too. These are great conversation starters, and kids could begin by finding the little bird in each picture.

Thanks to NetGalley and Quarto Publishing / Frances Lincoln Children’s Books for the preview copy for review.

Was this review helpful?

I am absolutely in love with the Little people series by Maria Isabel Sanchez Vegara and this one is no exception. It is amazing that she's taken up the job to educate children about famous people who've done great deeds in order to help humanity in some way.

Was this review helpful?

I requested this because I was curious about how this figure would be presented in a kid’s book since he has a fairly scandalous personal background. Obviously that isn’t addressed here, but I also didn’t find how he was painted accurate or compelling. I actually opted to not read this with my kids, because we’ve made it a habit to follow up these books with looking up real pictures, videos, etc of the people and I decided I didn’t want to pretend Gandhi’s story was a simple and for lack of a better word positive as the book implies. The artwork was beautiful as always... I just wonder if this person was a good choice.

Was this review helpful?

I continue to be impressed by the Little People, Big Dreams series. Each book in the series shares the lives of an extraordinary person, who had an amazing impact on the world. The thing they have in common is that they all had a dream as a child.

I think most people have heard about Gandhi, the leader of the Indian independence movement against British colonial rule. He used non-violence to rise up, and fight injustice. This is a children's book and it is a simple introduction to Gandhi. It does not tell us everything he did, but used his peaceful protesting to teach a very important lesson to children. I love the quirky illustrations and simple language found on each page. I learned some things about his background that I did not know before. Once again, this series for young children demonstrates that you are never to young to have a dream or to begin working to make it a reality. I recommend this book and series to all elementary school libraries.

Was this review helpful?

I download this but did not read it in time for the archive. I do apologize, and thank you for the chance to read this book.

Was this review helpful?

Another great edition to the Little People, Big Dreams family. The author does a good job of including important information regarding Ghandi. At times, it is a little advanced as far as concepts like peaceful protest and mentions Ghandi not eating. Although it doesn't go into much detail, there is a lot of discussion that can be had after reading.

Was this review helpful?

Another amazing book from my favourite series - and this one about one of my favourite humans. The illustrations were fresh and beautiful, really expressive and complimenting the story really well.

Loved it! But I love this series so that's not news!

Was this review helpful?

This tells a quick history of Mahatma Gandhi's life in a fun an approachable way for little ones. I loved the illustrations and the way they were able to incorporate a lot of information in quite a simplistic way.

I work in an elementary school library and the 3rd graders do biography projects every year. While I probably wouldn't suggest this title for their only source of information, I would absolutely suggest this as a way to get a brief overview of the person to decide if they'd want to learn more. I also struggle to find biographies for my younger students or those who are at a lower reading level so I'd be happy to stock my biography section with this series.

Was this review helpful?

These are perfect biographies to read to younger children, They are simple enough to understand and not too wordy.

Was this review helpful?

I love the books of Isabel Sanchez Vegara and have been waiting for one about Mahatma Gandhi. That said, most of Isabel's book's I would give a 5-star rating but this one did not quite convince me as much. I did not perceive the illustrations as strong as with some of the other books I have read of her and also the text could use some more details of Mahatma Gandhi's life.

Was this review helpful?

I can't say as I really knew much about Gandhi. I knew of him, of course, but not much about his life. Like how he'd lived in South Africa and had been a lawyer. While this book doesn't provide much detail, you can't go wrong introducing inspiration figures to our youngest readers.

Was this review helpful?

I received an ARC of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.


I'm a huge fan of these books. I think every child should read the series.

Was this review helpful?