This was a short and sweet book about one of my favourite authors, Mary Shelley. I loved the illustrations and how the story of her life was told.

I liked that the illustrations conveyed the Gothic story that Mary would come to write. They stuck to a muted colour pallet and helped to tell the story effectively.

The story was a good introduction for young children but slightly older readers might want more.

L Thank you to Quarto Publishing Group - Francis Lincoln Children’s Books for granting my wish for a copy of ‘Mary Shelley’ written by Maria Isabel Sanchez Vegara and illustrated by Yelana Bryksenkova in exchange for an honest review.

This little picture book is intended for children aged 4-7. It is Book 37 in the publishers acclaimed ‘Little People, BIG DREAMS’ series that introduces young readers to the lives and works of significant people via books and educational games.

Maria Isabel Sanchez Vegara has contributed a number of titles to this series. It’s an informative, well illustrated book. She has sketched in a few pages details of Mary Shelley’s life and the genesis of Frankenstein. The art work is striking and well illustrates the period with some Gothic flourishes.

Care has also been given to present the more scandalous aspects of Mary’s life in an age appropriate fashion. I am a great admirer of Mary Shelley and I hope that this picture book biography might sow the seeds of interest in her life, ‘Frankenstein’, and science fiction in young readers.

I would have loved to read this book (and others in the series) when I was this age. I would certainly recommend it to parents, librarians, and teachers.

True to form, this little book about Mary Shelley, author of the classic Frankenstein that many consider as a starting point for sci fi, has a muted colour palette that could be straight out of a Tim Burton Movie. Of course I approve.

As the title of the series is little people, big dreams, we meet Mary as she still is a child, and see how she grows up to achieve her dream of telling stories. We are told that she had to publish under a man's name, and also that her mother was a famous feminist, so this book would be a great entrypoint into the history of women's rights and why feminism is still important for children.
At the end, at the recommendation of the rest of the picture book series, we also have recommendations of other books about Mary Shelley, directly after the time table that gives more information on her history.

No mention of Percy's calcified heart, though.

This is one of the most goth picture books I ever had the pleasure to read.
Be warned that reading one book from this series makes you want to all the rest as this makes learning fun.

I recieved a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

The story of Mary Shelley is a complicated one for young readers/listeners. Mary's mother died when she was eleven days old. She had a wicked stepmother. She fell in love and left home to be with a married poet. And, oh yes, she wrote a horror story that conjured a scary future.

Somehow the author of this continuously excellent series, manages to make this all understandable. She also acknowledges the talents of Mary's parents and the circle of which Mary was a part. As always, there is a helpful timeline at the end of the book. Kudos to the author for doing all this in a short, illustrated book.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Quarto publishing for this book in exchange for an honest review.

This is a quick read, intended as an introduction to Mary Shelley, the mother of modern sci-fi/horror. It features atmospheric illustrations that really encapsulate the information in the text perfectly and I think it's beautifully done.

This is a wonderful series of children's books. I particularly like this one, not only because I'm interested in the subject myself, but I also have a 4 year old who's fascinated by all things spooky.
He already has a toddler version of Frankenstein that he really enjoys and I think this book would be a perfect supplement to that. I'm really looking forward to him learning about the author herself, who's a fascinating figure in her own right.

~ Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to review this title ~

I love this series and how it features famous women, I think it is such a good way to introduce children to different historical figures and I am really looking forward to being able to read them with my daughter.

This one has a good overview of Mary Shelley - her life, and writing, the most famous of her books being Frankenstein.. I thought that the pictures were bright and colourful, and I liked the layout too, the pages are all easy to read.

It is 5 stars from me for this one - this would be a brilliant introduction to this fabulous author and hopefully will encourage children to want to find out more about her.

A nice addition to everything written about Mary Shelly. Clean cut ideas and a dark art style make this a great children's book.

Another great addition to the Little People, Big Dreams series, somehow manages to wiles down Mary's extensive history into a short, concise picture book perfect for kids without being too scary or too morbid.

Thank you NetGalley for an advanced copy of this books in exchange for my honest opinion.

This little series doesn't stop surprising me.

I have read quite a few of them and I think they are all amazing!

Everyone has, of course, heard about Frankenstein or watch the movie but I had no idea who wrote the original Frankenstein book! It was such a surprise to know that it was Mary Shelley!

I liked to know a little bit more about her life, her hard start in life, really. It was interesting to know about her love story and it was very cool to know how and when she wrote her most famous book!

The art work is amazing! I can't even draw a star, so for me, anything is fabulous but these book's illustrations really are.

Like always, I really recommend these books!

Thank you netgalley for providing this ARC in exchange for an honest.
Perfect short storybook illustrating the life of writer Mary Shelly who wrote the famous classic Frankenstein. I didn't even realize a woman had written it. I liked how short and simple the writing was. Perfect for kids.

To get children to one day read classic literature in today's social media obsessed times may seem somewhat of a daunting task but one avenue that can be taken is to get them at an early age to become interested in the life of the author, the times they lived in and to give them some background as to how the story was conceived and produced. This is admirably achieved in the latest from the Little People, BIG DREAMS series which features Mary Shelley, the creator of Frankenstein.

Although not long in length the book contains a fair amount of biographical detail including the death of Mary's mother, the writer, philosopher and feminist Mary Wollstonecraft 11 days after giving birth, her "escape" to Continental Europe with the already married poet Percy Bysshe Shelley and how the novel Frankenstein came to be written. The quirky but stylish illustrations are an excellent accompaniment to the text, the times depicted and a certain underlying Gothic atmosphere. If even a few of the intended readership of this book later take out a copy of Frankenstein then its publication would certainly have been well worth while.

It is tough to write a kid's book about Mary Shelley, because her life was full of decidedly not picture book friendly events. I thought this book did a good job of presenting the heart of her story without making it too dark for young kids.

I'll root for any book in the Little People, Big World series. This is a favorite series of mine. A Who Was for the younger set.

Another empowering book,this time presenting the life of the author Mary Shelley.

I did not know much about the life of this woman and I got so intrigued by the illustration and the life facts at the back of the book.

Loved the use of darker colours to create the atmosphere!

Another great addition to the family!

Fascinating! I had no idea the history of famous writer Mary Shelley. I love how the author told her story in a simple, age-appropriate way. The story is certain to inspire new little authors everywhere.

A very good entry to this series, which has at times struggled with its biographies for the very young, but here we get the perfect balance of detail on one hand, and simplicity and concision on the other. So we see how her mother's own writing inspired Mary, how she eloped to Europe with the dodgy married poet, and at least we read that she didn't just do "Frankenstein". The artwork has a bit of the trendy wonky lack-of-perspective style about it, but seems to get things right. This is definitely one for the school libraries. A strong four stars.

I absolutely adore these books and Mary Shelley is one of my favourite authors, a trailblazer in science fiction and female authors, a wonderful read, one I will definitely share with little people to inspire them and show them what can be achieved and dreamed. These books are so inspirational

Thanks to netgalley and the publisher for a free copy for an honest opinion

Another fantastic edition to the Little people big dreams series! Mary Shelley is one of my favourite women as the founder of science fiction and to have one of these cute books showcasing that is so important! The facts are quick and accessible to children while still providing things I didn't necessarily know!
Thank you so much to netgalley and the publishers for providing me with and ARC for an honest review! :)

***Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review***
Beautiful illustrations make this condensed biography of Mary Shelley come alive!