Malala Yousafzai (Little People, BIG DREAMS Book 57) By Maria Isabel Sanchez Vegara
My 6yo daughter loved this, a simple story which started her asking questions about girls in other parts of the world not always being as lucky as we are. Maria Isabel Sanchez Vegara I absolutely love this series and this one is truly a special one! The illustrations are lovely; the timeline very helpful and the introduction of young readers to Malala is brilliant!
Malala, born in 1997 challenged her country's ban on girls being educated. She chafed at how Pakistani culture dictated that no woman leave home unaccompanied by a male relative, usually a husband or brother. Women were required to wear restrictive clothing that covered them from head to toe with a small opening for their eyes.
Malala used her voice to speak out against this and demand equal rights for girls and women. Education was her main platform and she beat on the drum for equal access to learning. Sadly, Malala and two other girls were shot by the Taliban as they were leaving school. Malala was then 15.
Due to the gravity of her injury, Malala was transported to a hospital in England where she recovered. It was during that time that Malala became world renown for her activism and determination to make the world a better place. In 2014 Malala was the youngest recipient of the Nobel Peace Price. Her dreams for an education were realized when she attended high school in England and graduated in 2017. She has since graduated from Oxford University as the Class of 2020. Maria Isabel Sanchez Vegara We love these. I bought this one to show my daughter that freedom and education are a privilege, when she can’t be bothered to get up and dressed for school each morning. She’s now my kids hero! Maria Isabel Sanchez Vegara Everyone should know about Malala Maria Isabel Sanchez Vegara
In this book from the critically acclaimed, multimillion copy best selling Little People, BIG DREAMS series, discover the life of Malala Yousafzai, the incredible activist for girls education and the youngest Nobel Prize laureate.
When Malala was born in Mingora, Pakistan, her father was determined she would have every opportunity that a boy would have. She loved getting an education, but when a hateful regime came to power, girls were no longer allowed to go to school. Malala spoke out in public about this, which made her a target for violence. She was shot in the left side of her head and woke up in a hospital in England. Finally, after long months and many surgeries, Malala recovered, and resolved to become an activist for girls education. Now a recent Oxford graduate, Malala continues to fight for a world where all girls can learn and lead. 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 activists life.
Little People, BIG DREAMS is a best selling series of books and educational games that explore 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 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 hardcover versions present expanded stories for beginning readers. Boxed gift sets allow you to collect a selection of the books by theme. Paper dolls, learning cards, matching games, and other fun learning tools provide even 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! Malala Yousafzai (Little People, BIG DREAMS Book 57)
My son has at least 20 of these Little People, Big Dreams books. And we love them all. They are very interesting and he learns about all different kinds of people (artists, writers, architects, sports stars, activists, politicians, musicians, fashion designers, etc.) Some are super famous (Gandhi). Some are not super famous (Zaha Hadid well, at least I never heard of her before reading the book.) They are diverse in abled ness, ethnicity, race, gender, sexuality, etc. All the books are very informative nd I feel really teach my son a lot about so many different people currently and in the past.
They all follow the same structure telling the story of a renowned person from the point of view of the person as a child. In this story, the authors talk about the life of Malala Yousafzai. How as a little girl she loved school and how her parents sent her to school even though it wasn't safe. How she continued advocating for education for girls (as a child!) and was attacked by the Taliban. It is a little odd, this structure, because Malala did a good portion of her work as an actual child and is still very young. So she still has a lot of life to live and it seems a little quick to write a biography of her (same for the Greta Thunberg book). But it is still inspiring.
The illustrations are colorful and engaging. My son loves them. He is always excited to see we've gotten another Little People, Big Dreams book. This one had some topics that were a little hard for him to grasp (girls not being able to go to school and a little girl getting shot in the head for going to school.) But I feel it led to some good conversations. Overall, I definitely recommend this book (and all the Little People, Big Dreams books.) Maria Isabel Sanchez Vegara I’ve been buying a bunch of these books for my great granddaughter for Christmas. I read each one I buy because I love them so much! Maria Isabel Sanchez Vegara Another excellent book by Little People. Maria Isabel Sanchez Vegara Today, many young people are familiar with Malala and her story from various books, such as Malala's Magic Pencil. For the very youngest who haven't heard of Malala yet, this book is a great introduction. The end papers are particularly beautiful and the designs from the end papers are woven into the illustrations across all the pages. It's a visually beautiful book to read. The story of Malala is told sparsely but fully, which is a tough thing to do. The book doesn't explicitly say what the Taliban did, only that they hurt Malala badly enough that she went to the hospital (only in the back matter does it say that they shot her). Just sharing that in case you are thinking of a young reader and concerned about exposing them to gun violence it's not explicitly stated in the narrative part of the book. The power and bravery of Malala's voice are alive and vivid in this book as in others about her. Young children will be rightly outraged to learn that lack of education is a weapon used against different peoples all over the world from young girls today back to slaves being denied the ability to learn to read and write. This is an important social justice concept that the very youngest can identify with because of their own love of school (I hope!). My daughter collects this series, and this is one of her favorites because she came to the book already a huge fan of Malala. Maria Isabel Sanchez Vegara Because I am assuming you are considering acquiring this book for your child, I will tell you the plot. Spoilers abound.
PLOT: One of a series, this book tells the tale of inspirational Pakistani teenager Malala Yousafzai who was shot by the Taliban because she was advocating for girl's education – and became the youngest person ever to win a Nobel Peace Prize
TEXT: There are four lines of text on each pagespread, with most of the page being devoted to artwork. My best guess is that it's intentionally around the 2nd or 3rd grade level. Words are kept easy to understand and easy to read to engage youngsters.
ARTWORK: Simple yet creative and engaging.
PROS:
Malala is amazing and inspiring; her story is absolutely worth telling.
One of the most important things about Malala's story is the realization that young people can make a difference. It should be quite empowering to the young reader.
Strong girl, strong woman!
Good solid inspirational story which also teaches children about modern events.
Malala's shooting is handled very tastefully. No worries.
CONS:
None.
BEST READ BY: Anybody. Everybody. Your child. You!
NOTE: This book is part of a series. I am very impressed by it. The text is good, the artwork clever and original. Note that this series also has a stellar DIY journal and a coloring book.
BOTTOM LINE: Most highly recommend. Maria Isabel Sanchez Vegara
