Review: Little Guides to Great Lives - Isabel Thomas

Little Guides to Great Lives by Isabel Thomas, published by Laurence King Publishing on 4th June 2018

Synopsis:
From artists to aviators and scientists to revolutionaries, Little Guides to Great Lives is a brand new series of handy, accessible guides, each beautifully depicted by a different illustrator.  The guides introduce children to the most inspirational figures from history.

 

Review:
This beautiful series of little books showcases the lives of some of the most significant figures in history.  It's a gorgeous set of hardbacks, aimed at children of ages 7-11 and would make the perfect present for an inquisitive child.  The set includes books about Frida Kahlo, Amelia Earhart, Marie Curie, Leonardo Da Vinci and Nelson Mandela.  I think it's great that three, such influential women are featured, as it shows how significant their achievements were.   

The guides contain a perfect blend of information and facts, alongside a timeline, glossary and index.  They are each illustrated by a different artist and the drawings and illustrations are absolutely charming.  They're fun and colourful and really bring alive the person who the book is written about.  I particularly liked the illustrations about Frida Kahlo.  I hadn't known a lot about her previously but I found her life story fascinating.  Although these are fairly short guides, you could spend ages poring over them and they would definitely keep children occupied as they find out about such wonderfully colourful and interesting figures.

I hope that there will be further additions to the series as there are so many other historical figures who I would like to see included.  I also think that this would make a great set for any library collection as it's both educational and entertaining and would be lovely for parents to read with their children.