Leo Messi

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Pub Date Nov 21 2023 | Archive Date Nov 07 2023

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Description

*Everymom Best Book for Early Reading*

In this book from the highly acclaimed Little People, BIG DREAMS series, discover the incredible life of Leo Messi, one of the world's most skilled and celebrated soccer players.

As a child, Leo developed his passion for soccer playing games with his brothers and cousins in the streets of Rosario, Argentina. He later honed his skills on the pitch as part of the local youth team, Newell's Old Boys – who famously won every tournament whilst Leo was with them. But life wasn't without its challenges. Aged 9, he was diagnosed with Growth Hormone Deficiency, which meant he had to inject himself with hormones from the doctor every day to help him grow. But nothing was going to stop Leo from following his dreams. He debuted with FC Barcelona in 2004 and across the next 17 years scored 672 goals for the club and helped them to win 35 trophies. Leo has also received seven Golden Ball awards, more than any other soccer player in history, and won 4 trophies with Argentina's national football team, including the 2022 World Cup, where he captained the team to victory. Messi's next chapter will be spent training under the Florida sunshine, having joined the U.S. team Inter Miami CF.

Today, he is considered by many to be 'The Greatest of All Time' – and is a hero off the pitch, too, as a committed ambassador for UNICEF and founder of his own children's charity.

This powerful book features stylish and quirky illustrations and extra facts at the back, including a biographical timeline with historical photos and a detailed profile of the soccer player's life.

Little People, BIG DREAMS is a bestselling biography series for kids that explores the lives of outstanding people, from designers and artists to scientists and activists. All of them achieved incredible things, yet each began life as a child with a dream.

This empowering series of books offers inspiring messages to children of all ages, in a range of formats. The board books are told in simple sentences, perfect for reading aloud to babies and toddlers. The hardback and paperback versions present expanded stories for beginning readers. With rewritten text for older children, the treasuries each bring together a multitude of dreamers in a single volume. You can also collect a selection of the books by theme in boxed gift sets. Activity books and a journal provide even more ways to make the lives of these role models accessible to children.

Inspire the next generation of outstanding people who will change the world with Little People, BIG DREAMS!

*Everymom Best Book for Early Reading*

In this book from the highly acclaimed Little People, BIG DREAMS series, discover the incredible life of Leo Messi, one of the world's most skilled and...


Available Editions

EDITION Other Format
ISBN 9780711290587
PRICE $15.99 (USD)
PAGES 32

Available on NetGalley

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Average rating from 60 members


Featured Reviews

"You can overcome anything if only you love something enough"
Leo began playing footie even before he started school and kept on with it to become an international FIFA star player who gave a lot of support to his foundation and work with UNICEF.
The illustrations by Florencia Gavilán are fun, simple, colorful, and delightful.
Well suited for reading WITH someone of any age including ESL, and great for gifting to anyone, but especially to a school or your local public library!
I requested and received a free temporary e-book on Adobe Digital Editions from Quarto Publishing Group/Frances Lincoln Children's Books via NetGalley. Thank you!
@QuartoKids @CBCBook @Frances_Lincoln #littlepeoplebigdreams @sanchezvegara

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My kids love the Little People, Big Dreams books for the very simple and approachable way they highlight notable public figures, and Leo Messi is a great addition. The book goes into a lot of details about Messi's early life, which I think makes it that much more relatable for young kids. It is also very relatable since he is a modern soccer player who won a World Cup as recently as last year. I highly recommend this book and many other from the Little People, Big Dreams series!

Thank you to Quarto Publishing Group – Frances Lincoln Children's Books via NetGalley for gifting my family with an ARC to review. We loved it!

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Thanks to Net Galley for providing with me with this book. A new book in the Little People, Big Dreams series this book has gorgeous illustrations to go with the story of Lionel Messi’s life. It would appeal to both boys and girls alike and shows that not everything was easy for the superstar.

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I always love the Little People, Big Dreams books, and this is my second one on soccer recently. This book will be a real inspiration to so many children! Being a soccer mom to 3 and now having a grand involved in the sport, I still love everything all things soccer and I'll love reading this book with my grandkids.

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The latest in the Little People Big Dreams sees the story of Lionel Messi told for children.

I think this is actually one of the best books I have read in this series - it was very well rounded, and incredibly informative for such a short book. I live with football mad boys, and I thought I knew about Messi, but this book taught me about his childhood struggles, his love of his Grandma and why the number 10 shirt is so important to him.

Wonderful illustrations, and great subject matter - Messi is a fabulous example of working hard to achieve your dreams, but also showing how to handle losses.

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My 8-year-old ‘Messi-crazed’ nephew has just finished reading this spectacular book … to me!

I asked him what he thought people needed to know about this book:

⚽️ You will learn why Messi likes jersey #10
⚽️ You will learn why Messi points to the sky when he scores
⚽️ You will learn why Messi is considered the G.O.A.T.
⚽️ You will learn why his grandma is an important part of his life.
⚽️ You will learn about all the things he could have used as an excuse not to play soccer.
⚽️ You will learn what Messi does when he loses.

I’d like to add that it was great to read about someone who believes that “life’s obstacles are just a part of the journey to reach our dreams.” Most fans see his success and don’t consider the multitude of losses on the way to the top. Furthermore, I appreciated that he discusses how he handles losses and this gives fans something to focus on while they are perfecting their skills.

⚽️ Messi’s advice:
“You can overcome anything if only you love something enough.”

The illustrations are fantastic and the photos/timeline adds just enough information to get children interested to investigate further.

✔️Available Nov. 21, 2023

I was gifted this book by Quarto Publishing Group, Frances Lincoln Children’s Books, and NetGalley and was under no obligation to provide a review.

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This entire series is enjoyable. I like reading about people, including about people who I do now know anything about. I am not a sports person. I enjoyed this book. Well written, well illustrated, very accessible, another good addition to this collection.

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Leo Messi is the inspiring and fascinating story of the soccer legend, Lionel Messi. He loved soccer from the time he was young, and he excelled at it. This tells the story of his rise from humble beginnings to his great World Cup win for his home country in 2022. Great inspiration for kids interested in soccer or any sports. With hard work and determination, you can do amazing things!

Thanks Netgalley and the publisher for the opportunity to review this advanced review copy (ARC) in exchange for my honest review on the book!

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I’m a huge fan of the Little People Big Dreams series of biographies. Once again, they’ve written and illustrated a charming overview of an extremely popular person. Even those who don’t know much about sports, have heard of world famous soccer star Leo Messi. This soccer star’s biography is sure to appeal to young people, even to reluctant readers.

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Here we have the perfect book for the little football/soccer lover that is a fan of the amazing Messi.

The reader get to know about his life growing up and his way to become the superstar he is.

I really hope this book comes out in Swedish one day since it would do a great favor to get kids to read more or adults reading more for kids.

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I know little about Mesi, so this was an interesting read. As a parent, I think this would be a great book for any little soccer lover or Masi fan under the age of 9. The book is brilliantly illustrated in a style reminiscent of old travel posters. It looks age appropriate and enhances the story.

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This is a cute book for kids to learn about the GOAT, Lionel Messi; Leo. The artwork is beautiful and would be easy for kids to see what's happening in the book. There are some great little tidbits you might not have known about his earlier years, so that was nice to read. Overall, definitely recommend.

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Another great book from a great series.
My husband hates reading books, but even he enjoyed the facts that I read out to him.
Please don't ever stop bringing out these books - I genuinely love them myself even though I am 40 🤷

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This inspiring biography series for children (4-7 years) brings exciting figure of Leo Messi, one of the best soccer players, if not the best.

Leo comes from Argentina, where from childhood he loved playing soccer. He was so good that he got on a team with older boys. With Leo on the team, they won every single tournament.

At thirteen, he got invited to Spain to try out for Barcelona’s youth academy. He was accepted within minutes of his playing. At sixteen, he joined the first team and with time became the greatest player in soccer’s history.

When Leo started playing soccer, he was always the smallest among the players. At first, it was because he was the youngest. Later, it turned out to be his medical condition for which he got help with injections. This obstacle didn’t stop him from becoming one of the greatest soccer players.

There were times, when his team lost, and in those moments he drew inspiration from happy children, including his family and all the children he helped through his charity.

With easy to comprehend sentences, and fun illustrations, this book is a cheerful inspiration for children.

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Leo Messi, an inspiration to young children worldwide.

Another fantastic book by Little People Big Dreams.
Leo Messi's book offers a unique insight into his younger years that is awe inspiring for young children particularly those like my son who are facing medical trials of their own.

The writing style calls children in. I started reading to one child and soon a bunch of them had crowded around us and were absorbed into Leo Messi's life.
The kids wanted to hear more about his charity in the story but otherwise I'd say it was pretty flawless.

I was gifted a digital copy of Leo Messi, Little People Big Dreams in exchange for a fair and honest review.
Thank you to NetGalley and Quarto Publishing for this opportunity.

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Lovely series.
And great to see the storybofbobevof the greatest players.
Personally I admire him.

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As a lover of soccer, I knew who Messi was, but this book not only introduced him to my kids, but introduced me to Leo the person and not just the player.

His strength and courage and persistence is inspiring and now my daughters and I cannot wait to see him play in person soon!

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Book 130 of 200 ~ 2023

🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟

I absolutely love this series. It presents people who went from ordinary to superheroes. I feel that they will encourage the little readers about their journey to success in a fun, easy to read way.

Kudos to the dynamic combination of author and illustrator who have made this one of my fave series.

I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own. Thank you @netgalley

#book130of200 #amreading #tbrpile #instareads #readstagram #reading #bookreview #bookreviewer #booklover #booksAreLife #booksForTheWin #thisbookfairyisreading #bookstagram #bookstagrammer #bookstagramfeature #bookshelf #booksofinstagram #bookish #bookworm #goodreads #booklovers #theSGbookfairyReads #theSGtrekkiereads #bookaholic #bookaddict #bookchallenge2023 #reviews #lovebooks #booknerds

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Little People, big dreams – LEO MESSI, written by Maria Isabel Sanchez Vegara and illustrated by Florencia Gavilan. Is a cheeky little graphic book about the brilliant Argentinian Footballer Leo Messi.

As a passionate football fan, myself, this little book is right down my alley. More importantly, this would be ideal for any young kid (I’d imagine 5-10 years of age) to inspire them to play our great game.

The art here is fun, and colourful. I love the way the artist paints Messi, as small. He was and is. He's a wee man. What a wonderful thing to inspire a young footballer - particularly a small, or tiny, young kid to become a footballer.

We follow Messi's introduction into team football in Rosario, Argentina – encouraged by his Abuela.

We also learn about his health issues, his Growth Hormone treatment, because he was so diminutive . But also, his stellar ability, so much so that – Barcelona, one of the world’s biggest clubs (….almost as big as Leeds United) showed interest in the lad at 13 years of age. The rest is history.

I will carry my experience to the grave, just last year, visiting the Camp Nou in Barcelona and seeing for myself some of the trophies won by this great player.

One thing that strikes one about Messi, apart from his obscene ability, is his humility.

Often lauded as the best of all-time, for me, it’s close between Messi and Maradona – either way Leo, is brilliant. Winning the World Cup last year was the cherry on the cake for him, as it's often said - and I agree - "one cannot be considered the world's best until one wins a World Cup".

A great little picture book for the young ones. A must buy to inspire.

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I can't give more than a billion stars to this illustrated book that tells us a small part of Messi's life. The idol of football around the world. Because he deserves it, because he earned it and because he had to face many things to be able to achieve what he wanted.

Although the illustrations are not entirely to my liking, they are not ugly at all and they accompany the story told here very well. As I said, it's not that they are ugly or poorly illustrated, but I didn't like them at all. It's something totally personal.

I love that a book like this has been made about Messi because he is one of the people who most deserves it. It is Argentine pride.

Thank you!

Thank you Frances Lincoln Children's Books for the ARC I read on Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

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Another great biography by Little People, Big Dreams. I loved this story and the challenges Leo faced as a child with his hat. An inspiration that anyone can achieve their goals no matter what.

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This book was really cute and funny. I read it with my football mad kid, even though he’s much too old for it and he really enjoyed it too.

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My son was so happy to have me read this to him and I love that this series is bringing some more recent and relevant inspiring people to Childrens minds. I have loved this series from the beginning but my son has fallen in love now that he has one where he knows who we are talking about immediately

I received this book as an ARC in exchange for an honest review

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Leo Messi - is the original GOAT (Greatest of All Time) footballer.
He grew up in South America where he played football on the streets with his friends and family. He was successful in every match he played for his youth team but as he was growing, he had to inject himself with a growth hormone which was a challenge for a young child. This did not stop Leo from following his dream where he received many accolades for his footballing abilities. He became Argentina's captain in the World Cup and his football career took him to Inter Milan - David Beckham's team.
The series is accessible to young children but the book appeals to all age ranges - especially those who are interested in learning more - they can look at the timeline at the rear of the book.

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I love this series of books and think they are brilliant for kids to learn more about people they may or may not have already heard of. This story is a great introduction to the life of Lionel Messi and his incredible achievements from the streets of Argentina and throughout his impressive career.

Thank you NetGalley for allowing me to read and review.

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I got this on Netgalley in exchange for an honest review!

I love this series so much, and this was no different! I love hearing about Messi's story, and this really showcased the many different sides of him in a great way! Perfect for kids that want to learn more about Messi, and have a love for football!

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My son is a HUGE Messi fan so we had to read this one. This is a terrific addition to this terrific series. The illustrations are super cute as always.

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