Congratulations to Little People, BIG DREAMS for yet another book about a strong female with a dream who didn’t let societal norms nor her family’s wishes stand in her way. Florence Nightingale is the mother of modern nursing and this is her story.

You might want to have a world map available as you read this one. You can ask children to find the boot shaped country and then to zoom in to find Florence. The British girl they’ll be reading about was born here and named after her birth city! Furthermore, International Nurses Day is celebrated every year on May 12th - Florence Nightingale’s birthday!

Children will read about an inquisitive, intelligent and kind little girl who grew up with a love of caring for other people. She knew her calling was in nursing and studied secretly to get certified! Many people couldn’t believe she turned down a marriage proposal to go to nursing school, but her dream didn’t include being married.

When she heard that nurses were desperately needed in Constantinople (Turkey) she organized 38 volunteers to go with her at short notice. The conditions were terrible, but Nightingale and her nursing team’s work revolutionized hospitals and healthcare forever. When she returned home, she used the money she was given by Queen Victoria to build a hospital and write a book about the secrets of nursing.

It’s important that children read about this devoted nurse who always, always strived to be the best she could be. More than that, she encouraged others to become the best at what they did, too. In light of the pandemic, this is a spectacular book to open discussions about the brave healthcare workers, like Nightingale, who are a shining light to us all in these uncertain times.

You might want to flip to the front cover with your child and ask why Florence is most often depicted carrying a lamp? (She is known as the Lady of the Lamp because of bringing a light to those who are sick and in dark, stressful times.)

I was gifted this advance copy by Maria Isabel Sanchez Vegara, Quarto Publishing Group, Frances Lincoln Children’s Books and NetGalley and was under no obligation to provide a review.

I love this series, teaching kids history in a fun way. As a nurse, I have learned much about Florence and how she changed modern nursing but don’t remember hearing about it as a child. On the whole, I loved this book. The illustrations were adorable, but I did at times find it hard to figure out which one Florence was, usually when she was in her green coat or a different outfit since all the faces were the same. I also didn’t love how it made it seem like sunlight and cleanliness is what saved the soldiers, but more that she kept them from getting over diseases that way. The timeline at the end makes it much clearer.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher, Quarto Publishing Group - Frances Lincoln Children’s Books, for the advanced digital copy of Florence Nightingale.

The Little People, BIG DREAMS series is an empowering series that gives children (and even adults!) the opportunity to learn about important people who contributed to our history. It should be a must read for everyone!

I loved this one about Florence Nightingale! I’m sorry to say that I didn’t really know much about her until I read this book. I knew she was a nurse and took care of soldiers but this was about. In a short 32 pages I learned all about her life. Highly recommend to quickly learn about important historical figures.

This is one of the better recent titles in this series! It has great art, and a good level of information. I've found some of the more recent titles to be a little choppily told, but this one was a clear and consistent story.