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.

Great kids book. Thanks for letting me share it with my child. We enjoyed it together. Thanks again for a review copy.

How can you write a book about john lennon, even a book for kids and not mention his death. Not in the story or the biographical notes at the back. It’s not like he died in his sleep. This is a big part of his life and it is completely left out. Not such a good book this time Little People Big World.

A good addition to the series. A good reminder that childhood dreams can become adult realities! Even a musician as well known and talented as John Lennon started out as a kid with a dream!

#JohnLennon #NetGalley

Thank you NetGalley for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

The cover is simple and gets the job done.

My kids and I LOVED this book. It was educational, well-written, and fun to read. The illustrations were great as well!

I'll definitely be looking out for other work by this author.

4.5★
“John was a little boy born in Liverpool in the midst of a great war. From his crib he could hear the bombs falling. But once he fell asleep, all he dreamt about was that, one day, there would be peace on Earth.”

My Goodreads review includes an illustration captioned:
Young John in his bed with his round glasses on the nightstand

He was raised by an aunt, but his mother visited and gave him his first guitar. That was it. He loved art, not schoolwork, and it was obvious to his teachers that art was where his talents lay.

My Goodreads review includes an illustration captioned:
John, with a cheeky grin while being scolded by a teacher for fooling around

He met a guy called Paul and a couple of other fellows and they formed The Quarrymen , later becoming The Beatles. John was just as silly onstage as he was in school.

My Goodreads review includes an illustration captioned:
The Beatles and John, performing wearing a toilet seat around his neck

“A stylish guy called Brian became their manager and promised to make them famous if they met two simple conditions: exchange their leather jackets for tailored suits and start behaving properly on stage.”

And didn’t that make a difference?!

My Goodreads review includes an illustration captioned:
Brian with his dubious new clients

They began touring the world, with girls swooning and crowds cheering for the Fab Four. Leading the first band to play at a giant stadium, John wondered what 55,000 voices singing together would sound like, but it was all SCREAMS! He craved a friend who would know him as John, not as a Beatle.

My Goodreads review includes an illustration captioned:
John meeting Yoko for the first time

“He met a Japanese artist called Yoko at a gallery in London, where her work was being exhibited. Yoko gave John a card that said nothing but “Breathe“ and they were together from that day on.”

John was ready to move on from the Beatles but not from music.

My Goodreads review includes an illustration captioned:
An artistic twist on the famous Abbey Road album cover

Here’s the original that we old fans are so familiar with. Note that even though this is aimed at today's children, the illustrator has stayed true to the colours and styles of the clothing (and Paul’s bare feet).

My Goodreads review includes an illustration captioned:
The album cover of Abbey Road

John and Yoko began a new life together.

My Goodreads review includes an illustration captioned:
John and Yoko’s peace camp honeymoon

They protested the war movement with music that is still played today.

The little boy who longed for peace is remembered as one of the greatest songwriters of all time.

My Goodreads review includes an illustration captioned:
Young John, dreaming of peace

This was published for the 40th anniversary of his death, December 8, 2020, but the book itself does not mention any sordid details. At the end of these books, there is always a more adult section with a few black and white photos and a short biography. I thought the words there were appropriately sensitive.

“The world was shocked to lose John when he was still young. His memory is kept alive by anyone who shares a dream with a friend, hums along to a Beatles tune, or dares to imagine a better world.”

We sure were shocked and we sure do still hum and sing along and dream of peace.

Thanks to NetGalley and Quarto Publishing’s Frances Lincoln’s Children’s Books for the preview copy and for publishing this series. They have books for kids of different ages, including the child inside us oldies.

[Note: I include so many illustrations to encourage readers to go out and get a copy. How can you know what a picture book is like without some pictures? I also tend to summarise for the same reason. I don't think I'm risking spoiling any plots. :) ]

Another wonderful addition to the Little People, Big Dreams series. John Lennon is a well known musician, but this book reminds children that he started out as a child loving music. This child friendly biography tells the story of John as a boy, one that didn't quite fit in anywhere, but wanted peace for the world even then. It takes us through his school years and up to his first hit song. We also have a brief look at his life with Yoko Ono and his quest for peace. I loved the illustrations in this book. They are colourful and add much to the story. As always in this series, this is a brief biography of a man to intrigue children to find out more on their own. I never fail to learn something new about these role models either. These books need to be in every school and public library. Challenging young people to follow their dreams, and getting them interested in reading more are both great goals of this series.

Little people, big dreams are always great books. I enjoyed this version with John Lennon story. It was interesting to learn new things about him, such as that heived with his aunt and not his parents.

The story of John Lennon and the crazy ways he called for peace. A book marketed for young children but geared for adults.

A special thank you to Quatro Publishing and Negalley for the ARC and the opportunity to post an honest review.

This is, unfortunately, one of the disappointing books of the "Little People, Big Dreams" series. The syntax felt rushed, and some of the information seemed to be in conflict with other sources of information that I have read about him.

I did enjoy the little John Lennon illustrations, though.

This is another fantastic addition to Maria Isabel Sanchez Vegara's brilliant "Little People, Big Dreams" series. Its publication is timed to coincide with the 40th anniversary of the iconic musician's death.
The book follows John Lennon from his roots in wartime Liverpool, through his meeting with Paul McCartney and the Beatles' rise to fame, his relationship with Yoko Ono and his activism for peace. While Lennon's musical and political legacy and his early death are mentioned, the circumstances of his death aren't referred to. There are a few important messages reinforced by the book. Firstly, the collaboration between people who have different strengths (in this case Lennon and McCartney) to produce something extraordinary. Secondly, the loneliness of fame and feeling the need to project a certain image, and the value of finding someone who sees and loves the real you, rather than that image. Finally, Lennon's belief in fostering respect and understanding between different cultures, and the way he manifested this belief through his music and political activity. While the lyrics of his song "Imagine" aren't included in his book, there are clear references to it in the final page. I believe young readers would enjoy listening to and reflecting on the song after reading this book.
This was a delightful book, illustrated in a similar whimsical and colourful style to the others in the series. I thoroughly enjoyed reading it with my Beatles-obsessed 11-year-old daughter.
My thanks to the author Maria Isabel Sanchez Vegara, illustrator Octavia Bromell, publisher Quarto Publishing Group – Frances Lincoln Children's Books and Netgalley for the opportunity to read and review this title prior to publication.

John Lennon gets his own time to shine in this marvellous non-fiction, children's series!

I still can't get enough of these. They are little books full of tidbits of wisdom. They have wonderful illustrations, magnificent facts and make learning fun. Honestly, I wish we had tons of these back in my childhood. These would be the best non-fiction counterpart to the giant collection of Mr. Men books that my library had.

If you haven't grabbed this series yet, Little People, BIG DREAMS by Maria Isabel Sanchez Vegara is one excellent series of non-fiction books. Each book introduces the readers to a famous person and retells the history of their lives.

John Lennon's story starts in Liverpool, long before he becomes the rock'n'roll star we all know him by. The Beatles is definitely one of the most famous bands out there, so it was about time John got his own story! Hopefully we get one for Paul, George and Ringo too!

I really liked this book. It was cute, fun to read and taught me more about John Lennon. I still highly recommend this series and will be grabbing every book that I can from it.

Four out of five stars.

Thank you to NetGalley and Quarto Publishing for providing me a free copy of this book in exchange of an honest review.

My thanks to Net Galley for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I have read several of the Little People, BIG DREAMS series and I was ecstatic to read and review this one. Being a bit of a Beatles fan and having done the Beatles Story in Liverpool with my kids; I thought that this book was a fabulous introduction and insight into John Lennon's life.

John Lennon is a new book in the fantastic Little People, Big Dreams series. The series encourages young people to follow their heart and discover their own unique contributions to society.

The simple storyline by Maria Isabel Sanchez Vegara is complimented by illustrations created by Octavia Bromell. Wisely, though reference is made to the world's loss of Lennon too soon- the book does not go in to how he passed.

The book focuses on Lennon's contributions to music and world peace.

I received a copy from the publisher through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Good introduction to John Lennon and his music. My 7yo has now listened to Imagine at least 10 times. There’s nothing too heavy (if you know John Lennon’s story you know what I’m talking about) or serious. It’s just a simple sweet story.

The ARC of this book was provided by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

The ‘My First Little People, Big Dreams’ series provides informative and inspirational biographies about people who left a mark on this earth, no matter what difficulties they have encountered.
These stories are very short, but that’s because they’re books for children, so it’s totally understandable.
I think they are a very smart and wonderful way to introduce little children to such important figures.
This little one here is about John Lennon, the incredible music icon and champion of world peace. He's such an ispirational figure and I'm so happy even little children have the possibility to find out about his life and the impact he had and still has on all our lives.

There are better peace icons that we can teach people about than a man who admitted to hitting women!

This picture book offers a very brief overview of Lennon's life, concentrating on key moments and on the philosophy of his views that drive his greater impact. It discusses the formation of the Beatles and his career within it, and also mentions his career afterwards. His desire for peace and his efforts working toward it are highlighted. Several pages at the end of the book are dedicated to a timeline and more details about his life, and have photographs. This is merely an introduction, aimed at the youngest readers, and leaves out many key points, including Lennon's death at the hands of a shooter. This series of 54 titles covers well known historical figures, such as Mother Theresa and Gandhi, but also includes some lesser known figures such as Zaha Hadid and Emmeline Pankhurst. These short titles are excellent resources for introducing the youngest readers to the world of biographies, and I probably would have checked out all of these that my library had to read to my children.

This edition is written very well but I don't enjoy the art style compared to other editions. I would have liked to know more why his mother didn't raise him. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for my digital review copy.

John Lennon is a children's story about a well know Beatles band member. This illustrated picture book is another great addition to the Little People, BIG DREAMS series. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for my digital copy.