Marilyn Monroe by Maria Isabel Sanchez Vegara explores the life of a truly iconic figure in film history. Born Norma Jean, young Marilyn lived in foster homes and orphanages. Despite not being allowed to watch many movies, she dreamt of becoming an actress. One day a photographer saw her and offered her a modelling contract, which led to movie parts. Sadly, Marilyn died at a young age.

I appreciate that the author handled certain parts of life with gentleness and compassion. That's been the case with many of the people who've been covered in this series.

The end of the book contains a more detailed look at 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!

'Marilyn Monroe' by Maria Isabel Sanchez Vegara with illustrations by Ana Albero is a picture book biography in the Little People, BIG DREAMS series.

Before she was Marilyn, she was Norma Jeane. She grew up in a series of foster homes. She grew up with a love of movies and the dream of becoming a star one day, and that dream came true.

I like this series and I'm always curious how they will handle difficult biographies. The illustrations are on the quirky side which works well for the subject.

I received a review copy of this ebook from Quarto Publishing Group - Frances Lincoln Children's Books, and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you for allowing me to review this ebook.

I love that Marilyn Monroe was included in the 'little people, big dreams' series. I've read a ton of books about Marilyn, but I am pretty sure this is the first children's book I have seen about her. If the story is very child appropriate and encourages children to dream big.

This is the second in the series I have read. I continue to love how the author is able to summarize the highlights of Marlilyn's life in an inspiring and positive way.

I learned a lot about Marilyn that I didn’t already know which was nice. However, this book glosses over most of her life. It makes it feel like she was always happy-go-lucky. There was nothing about her many marriages, or even her death. And I think kids might get confused because they mention her first marriage and just say the guy left to work for the marines. No more closure than that. I liked this book, but it could have been done better.

This one was aimed more at adults, as children are not aware of this icon, however I felt it too short if its an adult aimed book.

5☆ A Fun and Informative look into Marilyn Monroe's life.

I absolutely adore this beautiful collection of children's books and when I see a book about Marilyn Monroe I couldn't wait to read it.

This delightful picture book tells the reader all about Marilyn's life from being in children's homes to becoming a model to actress. It opened my eyes more to just how wonderful Marilyn was.
I learnt alot from this little book.

What I loved about Marilyn's story was that she showed children that it's ok to be different and stand out from everyone else, and to follow your dreams and not give up.

I think it's so wonderful that children can learn about such iconic people in a fun, informative and relatable way.
The book is nice and short, with just the right amount of information on each page and the illustrations just add that Special touch!
These books are perfect for readers aged 7+ and would make great gifts.

5★
“And after giving her best in more than 20 movies, little Norma Jeane, the girl who never belonged to anything or anyone, found her home in the hearts of the people—the place where she will belong forever.”

Marilyn Monroe, the Movie Star who outshone all others, is a 20th century icon who represented the American rags-to-riches success story. Born in 1927 to a mother who was often unwell, she grew up in orphanages or lived with foster families.

My Goodreads review includes an illustration with the caption:
Norma Jeane in an orphanage

She loved going to the movies and losing herself in the stories she watched. When she was only 16, her foster family was moving away, so rather than leave to go with them, she married the boy next door.

My Goodreads review includes an illustration with the caption:
Housewife Norma Jeane waves goodbye to her young husband

Norma Jeane is actually relieved when he is sent overseas with the Marines. Housewifing is not for her! She gets a job at factory, painting parts of airplanes, where she is spotted by a photographer taking pictures of females working for the army.

My Goodreads review includes an illustration with the caption:
Norma Jeane posing for a photograph in the factory

She took to it naturally and became a model, but she had bigger dreams still.

My Goodreads review includes an illustration with the caption:
Norma Jeane dreamed of Hollywood

She decided to change her look to platinum blonde and tame her thick, wild curls.

My Goodreads review includes an illustration with the caption:
Norma Jeane becomes Marilyn Monroe

It took her a while to break into show business, but she used the time to study acting, singing, and dancing. She finally got a part in ‘All About Eve’ with superstar Bette Davis.

My Goodreads review includes an illustration with the caption:
Bette Davis and Marilyn Monroe on the set of ‘All About Eve’

Her film studio asked her to deny the story that she had posed with few clothes on, but she preferred to tell the truth and seems to have been respected for that.

Meanwhile, she became famous around the world and was one of the first women to start her own production company and fight for equal roles and pay for women. With all of her fame, and despite her busy life, she remembered what loneliness feels like, and she went overseas to entertain the troops.

My Goodreads review includes an illustration with the caption:
Marilyn Monroe, entertaining the armed forces overseas

She really gave her all, and the iconic picture of her standing over a grate in the sidewalk in the movie ‘The Seven-Year Itch’ is still recreated often today.

My Goodreads review includes an illustration with the caption:
Marilyn Monroe in the white halter dress she made so famous

This is a book for children to remind them to dream big, so obviously they don’t discuss her depression and sad life (or the calendar). Her movies brought a lot of joy to the public. As always i these books, there are four real photos and a short bio as well as references further information.

It’s a great series to inspire kids (and inform grownups).

On a personal note, I can’t believe nobody’s made a film with Brittany Spears as Marilyn. The similaries are amazing, and the comparison photos (and composites) online are fun to see. You'll find plenty of images if you google or search for: marilyn monroe brittany spears

This children's book doesn’t mention that she had no clothes on at all in the well-known 1952 calendar photo. If you'd like to see the calendar, (which I happen to think is beautiful even if it is advertising paint and probably designed to hang in a workshop), just search for: marilyn monroe calendar paul fraser collectibles

I received a gifted advance reader copy of this book to read in exchange for an honest review via netgalley and the publishers.

Marilyn Monroe is the latest addition to this amazing non fiction biography series for children about famous people who made a difference in the world.
I'm so glad Marilyn Monroe got a place in this beautiful series. She was such an amazing lady and deserved a chance to sparkle and shine within such a series of books.
I've always been fascinated by Marilyn and enjoyed this short biography so much. The illustrations are beautiful and very befitting to the time period.
Thank you for such a beautiful and informative book.

This is another great read in a fantastic children's book series. It continues to add some biography reads into the children's non-fiction book world. Marilyn Monroe is such a unique woman and has one interesting story to tell. It was nice seeing her get her chance to shine in this series.

Three out of five stars.

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

Beautifully illustrated and what a short concise and encouraging story of living your truth everyday, even when you lose friends and those you love the most. This is so necessary for everyone to read in life. I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

Now this one I know. The famous Marilyn Monroe. But as usual, the author of this series highlight the good side of the famous person, to show the bright side kids can follow.

Norma Jean was born into a weak-bodied mother, who then sent little Norma Jean to an orphanage. But that didn't discourage the girl to pursue her dreams. She followed her intuition to modelling, then to the film industry. Then changed her name into Marilyn Monroe. Even though she was a controversial person in her era, I admit that I admire her spirit.

Once again the Little People, Big Dreams series has introduced an icon to a new generation. This wasn't my favorite LPBD book but I did learn some new facts about Marilyn Monroe that I didn't already know. Looking forward to the next book in the series.

This is true story of Marilyn Monroe through her difficult childhood to become a movie icon. Norma Jeane was raised in orphanage since her mother was sick.



I think when she decided to dye her hair to a bright blonde, that was a right decision. ❤



I'm afraid that I'm not familiar with her acting and looking forward to watch them.

I love this series and the details that are in it about people that kids are not likely to know about. While it was simply written, it was tastefully done. Like always, I wanted to read more to learn even more.

A little girl was born Norma Jeane. She had a hard time growing up and had to stay at Orphanages and Foster Care. Movies were her big escape, she was able to dream of a different life and watch her favorite stars. She wanted to be a movie star, too. Unfortunately, she gets married at just 16 years old.

Marilyn is working simple jobs and is discovered by a photographer. He takes all sorts of pictures of her. After, she is on the cover of over 20 magazines. Still, her heart wants more. So, Marilyn Monroe is born. She becomes a huge and beloved movie star. She used to love to entertain and went overseas to entertain the troups. I think this is because she understood loneliness and didn’t want others to feel that way. All the attention she got probably made her feel loved.

A fact I did not know was Marilyn was the 1st woman to own a production company. In her roles, she was encouraged to look a certain way and often act dumb. She went along because she just wanted to keep getting movie roles. She did achieve her goal of having fans love her and understand her troubles. This was handled very tastefully. She was one of a kind and all these years later, everyone still knows her name.

This was another incredible book in this series. For a child growing up not living with their family, Marilyn could be a heroine to them. S/he could see that just because life is difficult growing up, you can go on to be whatever you dream of. These books are terrific and belong in schools and libraries.

Thank you NetGalley, Maria Isabel Sanchez Vegara, and Francis Lincoln Children’s Books for offering me a copy of this book. I love to read these, so much appreciated.

I love the Little People Big Dreams series and this book is no exception! The illustrations are beautiful and the story is told in an age appropriate way. I will definitely be purchasing for my library.

*Thank you to NetGalley and Quarto Publishing Group - Frances Lincoln Children’s Books for allowing me to read the digital ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.*

The “Little People, Big Dreams” series takes iconic celebrities of all kinds and tells their stories in a way that’s accessible for children. This one is about Marilyn Monroe.

As a teacher, I love the books in this series. What a great way to introduce the biography genre to kids and encourage them to learn more about interesting, inspirational people! The illustrations are great and full of colour. The writing is easy to understand, and I feel it would keep kids’ attention. I thought this book was great!

Biography of Marilyn Monroe, suitable for young children. Stops short of her involvement with John F Kennedy. Does not tell how her life ended.
#NETGALLEY

This was just lovely. My daughter collects them and this has been added to her wish list ( she’s 20 and yes still wants them for Christmas) Illustrated do wonderfully and lovely to read .