Alan Turing

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

This is another fantastic installment in the Little People Big Dreams series. This time it is about Alan Turing whos amazing mathematical mind played such a huge role in code breaking and stopping the war.
I liked how it included that Alan was homosexual and how unfairly he was treated for being this way. It shows children being different is their right and that the world has changed so much and that they can help to keep on changing it for the better by following their own hopes and dreams.

This is beautifully written and illustrated. It is great to see a child-friendly book written about Alan Turing that highlights his role in British history and mathematical history.
I can imagine this to be a great source of inspiration to young people who feel they don't fit in or feel more comfortable alone rather than in large groups of peers. The relationship between Alan and Christopher as first loves is sensitively and appropriately explained.
This is a fantastic book in the series and I would not hesitate to recommend it to UKS2 children.

This book, very simply, describes the life of Alan Turing. It might be nice to read aloud for younger kids, and probably will be interesting for kids who like to learn things. I hope kids will be interested in these kinda books, as they teach new stuff in a childish likable way.

Another just lovely addition to the Little People Big Dreams series. I really loved the use of pops of colors in the illustrations in this one.

I really enjoyed this peek into Alan Turing's life. I liked that the book didn't shy away from any of the aspects of his life. The art was also very cute.

I really enjoyed reading this book, and think it uses both the perfect amount of u formation, while not overloading it. The facts about Alan Turing that it chose to include such as his relationship with Christopher, and the eventual consequence of his sexuality was a great way to inform children of some of the not so nice things in history, without scaring them. Could not recommend this book enough and I would love to read more from the series of other historical figures

I love the picture books that Maria Isabel Sanchez Vegara does. They are perfect for little children.
This one is a picture book that introduces the little readers to the incredible life of the igenius code cracker and father of the theoretical computer science and A. I. , Alan Turing.
It is written in simple sentences, which are perfect for the little ones and it offers them inspiring messages.
I love how quirky the illustrations are.

I have reviewed a lot of the books from this series and this one doesn't disappoint. I'm learning things too! I like how the author has not only celebrated Alan's work as a fantastic mathematician and scientist but also his personal triumph (although he sadly didn't realise it at the time) for the rights of gay men to be treated equally in England.
Whilst I feel he had one of the most brilliant brains, it seems his personal life was tinged with sadness. This has been portrayed in a very sympathetic way and in one that younger children will understand.

In human endeavour to improve science, there have been many heroes, many of whom are less famous.
Alan Turing is one such scientific mind.
He help build basic of first computer.
He suffered due to draconian laws and beliefs prevelent at that time.
But still he did what he loved. He studied and researched continuously.
Illustrations are very good. Writing is simple.
These minaiaturised biographies are very beautiful way to know legends.
I am happy to know there are many more of such illustrated biographies and I will like to read them all.

Another small book for children with a big message told with her usual skill by Maria Isabel Sánchez Vegara. This, Little People, Big Dreams series just gets stronger with each new title I manage to read.
I would without hesitation buy the set. The share in simple sentences the heart of what makes someone special and enhances biography to a creative art.
What I like best is the desire it generates to want to learn more and read more widely to understand the person.
Alan Turing has become a name most adults now recognise due to Enigma and the recent successful movie “The Imitation Game” 2014. I knew nothing of his work and life growing up in the 1970’s.
Other movies and TV dramas were produced from the mid 1990’s but again these mostly passed me by.
So I feel all kids need to have shared the life story of this quiet and often lonely man with them.
Linzie Hunter’s illustrations add to this brilliant book with good use of reds and browns to paint the picture and make it another unique backdrop.
Alan was a shy and withdrawn lad; with time on his own thinking rather than talking and not sociable. He was the type of child who was easily passed over and not considered ready to make a contribution or amount to anything. But as the author writes: “But sometimes that’s just the kind of people who do the things no one can imagine.”
Misunderstood by society’s narrow thinking, despite his contribution to computers and the war in saving countless lives. We may think such prejudices are a thing of the past in our more modern liberal thinking but there remain people passed over, dismissed and hounded for being different from us. Let Alan’s story challenged today’s bullying and social media trolls to ensure we have really moved into the 21st century.

I have read many a book from this series and love how empowering, inspiring, and educational they are.

Alan Turing was a smart boy who loved maths and science. At University, he dreamed of a machine that could calculate anything calculable - his design was the brainchild of the computers we use today. During the war, he developed a machine that could decipher the Nazi code, helping to end the war and save hundreds of lives. Despite this incredible achievement, Alan was cast out for being a gay man and it wasn't until 50 years had passed that the government apologised for their treatment.

This book has a couple of distinct morals. The first is that anything is possible. The second is that sexuality does not define a person or make them wrong. Alan was cast out for being gay and was very miserable at his treatment. He was alive during a time of great prejudice and probably suffered a great deal. The book also shows that these days, people are much more open and accepting. It's important for children to understand the history but it's also important to highlight how much the world has changed for the better.

The only thing I would have liked with this one was a bit more information about Alan's life after the war.

The story of Alan Turing is beautifully told in this new title in the Little People, Big Dreams series.  Nothing is glossed over as the story is told not only about the breaking of the Engima code but also Turing's being gay and the way that he was treated in England.


Readers of this title who may feel a bit alone or different will be encouraged by learning about all that Alan did, after he faced the loss of a person very important to him.  This book could be a great jumping off point for talking with a child.


Alan's story is told in a matter of fact style.  The illustrations are lovely, expressive and greatly enhance the text.


Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read a book in one of my favorite series.

Like all of this series, this is a brief look into the life of someone famous. In this case, Alan Turing is famous for two things, for breaking the enigma code, and for being gay.

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It is refreshing how this is dealt with, in a kids picture book. It is not ignored, just talked about as a matter of course. Of course they don't say what the chemical he had to take that made him take his own life. But it is sweet that it includes his first love.

Cute introduction to Alan Turning's life.

Thanks to Netgalley for making this book available for an honest review.

I do enjoy the books in this series and I am always delighted when a new book is released.

This one is on Alan Turing, a man who was a vital part in helping the Allies win the Second World War.

I did like that the author touched on what happened to him after the war and going in to this in depth would not be appropriate for a children's book but I did think the book was quite brief, and the images were not as nice as in some of the other books so it is just 4 stars from me for this one.

More than anything I love the fact that this LPBD did not shy away from Alan's identity and included it in the story. It's so important for children to learn that gay people are just like them - people with the potential for greatness.

I was really nervous going into this edition of the Little people, BIG DREAMS series. There aren't many stories that touch me on such an emotional level as that of Alan Turing. Over the years I had the chance to get my hands on different kinds of picture books, graphic novels etc. from all around the world telling his story and some still haunt me up to this day.

Reading his story now in this book series felt so important and still like something quite impossible. How can you tell the story of such a tragic life on just a few pages and still stay true to the inspiring character of this book series? I was sure that they would cut more of his life that I'd feel comfortable with and with that feeling I started the book.

To say I'm pleasantly surprised would be an understatement. Of course you can't tell his whole story on only 12 pages, but this edition still does an amazing job summarising his life and giving you an idea of how much there is to learn about the man that was Alan Turing. For me it was hard to see how little there was about his last years, but I think it dealt with it in a good way that gives parents the freedom to go more into detail if they want and choose to, but that isn't too much for the youngest readers.

If I imagine myself reading this as a kid and learning the whole story later in life, I think I'd be shocked, but I think this book would also make me want to learn more about him in the first place. I'm glad that Turing is part of this series now and that it does talk open about his sexuality. The way this series chose to face this part of his life was respectful and still in some way powerful. And for that I'm really grateful.

The Little People, BIG REAMS books are a great way to inspire your kids to dream big. And to stay true to themselves.

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 one here is about Alan Turing, the English famous mathematician. I already knew his story thanks to the movie The Imitation Game, in which Benedict Cumberbatch played Alan. It was really nice to revive his story. He had such a brilliant mind!
In addition, I did love very much that the mistreatment of gay people, of him in particular, was mentioned here. It is important to let kids know about all this, in order to prevent such horrible mistakes to be made again.

Alan Turing by Maria Isabel Sanchez Vegara is another delightful addition to the Little People BIG DREAMS franchise. This time around, the subject is the computer science genius, whose code-cracking played such a pivotal role in defeating the Nazis during World War II. Turing's homosexuality, and resulting persecution, are also noted, giving a well-balanced account of a remarkable life.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Quarto Publishing Group - Frances Lincoln Childrens for this ARC.

I've enjoyed very many of these young children's biographies about a host of different people. This one is about computer scientist Alan Turing, who was responsible for breaking the secret of a major German coding machine in World War Two and who was subsequently persecuted for his homosexuality.

Way to thank a war hero, UK! He was, at long last, pardoned, but he should never have been arrested for it in the first place, and the pardon came long years after his suicide. If he'd been hailed as the hero he was and funded, he could have put Britain at the forefront of computing.

This book doesn't pull any punches and tells his story simply and in enough detail for young minds without overdoing it. It's nicely-illustrated by Hunter and is well worth the reading. I commend it. There is one small glitch which hopefully will have been fixed before this goes on sale. At the back of each of these books is a timeline with actual photographs of the subject at different points in their life. This book is no different, but the person featured in the photographs isn't Alan Turing; it's Astrid Lindgren, author of the Pippi Longstocking books! While Turing might well have been amused by this, it really needs to be fixed.

This is a great addition the the series, the artwork is accessible the story doesn't shy away from the LGBTQ+ side of things, and nor should it, but a tragic story is handled with the sensitivity needed to show the gravity of his end.

This series is always a joy to read, it’s a really nice introduction to well known people for little children. Of course the plot is always a little bit fast but that’s to be expected and it’s totally understandable. This book here is about Alan Turing, the father of computer science. I already knew his story thanks to the 2014 biographical movie The Imitation Game but it was definitely nice to read it in this format as well. I think the author did a great job in telling us the most important moments of his life. And also, I really appreciated how the mistreatment of gay people was included in the narrative. It's something horrible that happened and that we need to talk about, even with children.

This is a beautifully sensitively told story of one of the greatest but most unknown heroes of the Second World War. This is perfect for any children in your life to help feed their interest in history. All the books in this series have beautiful illustrations which accompany a story told at the perfect level for young children.

Another biography for the Little People, Big Dreams series. This one introduces children to the mathematician and scientist, Alan Turing. The children who read this will learn about a heroic man who helped the allies win World War 2. And, they will also learn about the fact that he was treated unfairly because he was homosexual. It is quietly straightforward with information that might have been omitted in biographies published in earlier years. The artwork is lovely, and the story inspiring

Thank you to Netgalley and Frances Lincoln Children's Books for the digital ARC in exchange for my honest review.

I thought this was such a great little biography of Alan Turing. He was one of the smartest men out there who helped win WWII with his machine to help crack codes and it was sad how his life turned out in the end. I hope kids can start learning a little bit about him now and when they get older read more about him.

Both my kids loved this, despite their age differences. Sprinkled with history in terms they can understand, my son liked hearing about a programmer like he could be, and my daughter liked having a book she could read.

This is a great way to introduce kids to the life of Alan Turing, his accomplishments, and the complex issues he dealt with in his life. I loved the bold illustrations and the emotions they are able to convey. I especially love the photos of Alan Turing in the back of the book to add real-life connection and context to the picture book. This is a book I look forward to adding to our school library's biography section.

A delightful introduction to Turing. I love the style, colours and vintage feel of the book. My son is already fascinated by computers and problem solving so I loved sharing this with him. A brilliant STEM book and one to add to my growing collection. This book belongs in every young child’s library and classroom.

Glad Turing was included in this series. Having been overlooked/kept hidden for so long in history, it's important for kids to know his story for multiple reasons. I also particularly like the illustrations in this book.

Pretty interesting children's book about the life of Alan Turing. The illustrations are wonderful. The story was compelling, but could really use a rewrite. It's grammatically incorrect and stilted and awkward. Because of some of the content, war and persecution, I'd recommend this for children perhaps 5-6 and up. It's definitely a book that could lead to a heavier discussion.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing a copy of this ARC.

My thanks to Quarto Publishing Group - Francis Lincoln Children’s Books for a temporary digital edition via NetGalley of ‘Alan Turing’, written by Maria Isabel Sanchez Vegara and illustrated by Ashley Lindsay, in exchange for an honest review.

This little book is intended for children aged 4-7 and is part of its publishers acclaimed ‘Little People, BIG DREAMS’ series that introduces young readers to the lives and works of significant people including scientists, writers, political figures and the like via books and educational games.

This manages to present in a few pages the essence of Alan Turing’s life and work. The censure he faced when his homosexuality was revealed, the treatment he voluntarily undertook, and his suicide was always going to be sensitive issues to introduce to young readers. However, I felt that the author was respectful to Turing’s memory and also pointed out that the British government did apologise fifty years later to Turing and thousands of gay men for the treatment they received.

We can only imagine what Alan Turing, the father of computer science, might have accomplished if he had lived in a more accepting society.

The artwork is simple and colourful and I felt that it worked well with the text.

This is a book and series that I am always happy to recommend to any parent, teacher, or librarian.

I enjoyed reading about the famous mathematician!

We need to dream big, and accept that being different is ok.
We need to be able to see when we can let our light shine and who knows make an impact.

Like all the books in the Little People BIG DREAMS series, this boson Alan Turing is just another gem. Most of us know Alan via the movie The Imitation Games ut this book by Maria Isabel Sanchez Vegara brings his not-so-simple mind alive for little readers who are just beginning to grasp all the things that they can conjure up through their imagination. The series as it is , is doing an important work in my opinion. bringing to life the many main events that helped shape these personalities . Linzie Hunter's beautiful illustrations take this a step further and make these more interesting for the little readers and leaders in the making.

I walk past his statue in Manchester’s Sackville Park on my way to work so was eager to read this advance copy via NetGallery. The book is a touching portrayal of the inspiring and sad life of Alan Turing. His life as a mathematician and code breaker changed all of our lives for the better. unfortunately, he was not treated with the respect and compassion he deserved. He was treated terribly for being gay and his amazing wartime calculations which were thought to have saved over 14 million lives was kept secret for decades.

A wonderful addition to the Little People, Big Dreams series. I will be adding this to a post on Children’s Books about Inventors Perfect for Teaching STEM in May.

The most recent installment of the Little People Big Dreams series, Alan Turing is a simple biography, perfect for young readers. Introverts everywhere will find a relatable figure in Turing, and illustrations will engage emerging readers. A timeline, photos, and extra details at the back make for good conversation points for caregivers or librarians to share with children.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an advance electronic copy in exchange for my honest review.

The Little People, Big Dreams series is one of my favorites! It's a great way to introduce young readers to some truly amazing people. The illustrations are always on point and the text is simple yet powerful. Highly recommend!

trigger warning
<spoiler> conversion therapy, homophobia /spoiler>

Again, this installment of the little people, big dreams series focuses on the story of a person who once was a small child with a certain passion. Alan Turin was awfully shy and liked math.

And again, this book taught me some things I didn't know beforehand. Also, the topic of conversion therapy was handled admirably - children will be able to understand this explanation, and later on can learn more about such devastating topics.

I really, really like this series.
I recieved a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I know I write this every single time I review a Little People, Big Dreams book, but Maria Isabel Sanchez Vegara you, once again, knocked this out of the park with your book about Alan Turing, the father of computer science. The only things that can make this story better are the gorgeous patterns, color combinations, and sweet illustrations by Linzie Hunter.

Turing was a computer genius, before computer geniuses were really even a thing. He saved so many people and helped bring the war to an end by cracking Nazi secret codes. And he was a gay man in a time when it wasn't "okay" to be a gay man.

I am bowled over with the emotional depth of this book. I love that Vegara never shies away from the true lives of these amazing people that she writes about. The children who read them are, and will be, better humans for it.

Thank You, as always, to NetGalley and Quarto Publishing Group/Frances Lincoln Children's Books for this digital copy to read and review.

This series is always a good read with my son and it was exciting to see another LGBTQ individual featured (we had previously read the Bowie book).