Audrey Hepburn: My First Audrey Hepburn (Volume 7)

Little People, BIG DREAMS

by Mª Isabel Sánchez Vegara, Amaia Arrazola

New, in the My First Little People, Big Dreams series: Introduce your littlest one to the world’s most Hollywood movie star, Audrey Hepburn. 

Told in simple sentences, this young reader edition of the best-selling series is perfect to read out loud to little dreamers. This empowering series celebrates the important life stories of wonderful women of the world – and is now in available in a board format for little hands! These books make the lives of these role models accessible for the youngest children, providing a powerful message to inspire the next generation of outstanding people who will change the world!
 

Genres: Picture Books, Biography, Nonfiction, Childrens, Biography Memoir, History, Womens

24 pages, Board Book

First published January 1, 2015

About the author

Maria Isabel Sánchez Vegara, born in Barcelona, Spain, is a writer and creative director perhaps best known as the author of much of the Little People, Big Dreams series. Each book tells the childhood story of one of the world's female icons in an entertaining, conversational way that works well for the youngest nonfiction readers, allowing them to identify with the characters in each story.


You may find books from the "Little People BIG DREAMS" series on author page - https://www.goodreads.com/author/show...

Reviews

[Hilary · Rating 2 out of 5]

I don't have any previous knowledge about this actress so I can't tell if what is written about her is correct. I find the illustrations for this book really ugly. At the beginning Audrey is shown as tall as an adults knee which I can only assume means she is around 2 years old. She is shown dancing en pointe which is generally not started until teenage years and definitely when your feet have stopped growing. She is then shown walking to her ballet class in the silk pointe shoes through the street, obviously this wouldn't happen even if two year olds did wear them.

The clothes are completely anachronistic, the scenes of WWII show children in cerise pink, lime green, orange and yellow and the styles are modern too, completely confusing.

[Manybooks · Rating 3 out of 5]

Now with regard to Maria Isabel Sánchez Vegara's presented text and her word choices, I have actually managed to very much, to greatly enjoy this introduction to famous Hollywood actress Audrey Hepburn considerably more than many if not most of the instalments in the Little People, Big Dreams series I have read to date. It touches on most of the essential tenets of Audrey Hepburn's life and career (remaining nicely basic but without becoming trivial) and especially and glowingly shows and features her tireless charity work on behalf of children and that appreciatively, her career was never more important than Audrey Hepburn's sense of and for humanity and helping those in need unselfishly and joyfully. And yes indeed, if Audrey Hepburn had either been presented with no illustrations whatsoever or with accompanying pictures rendered by an illustrator a bit more adept at depicting human figures realistically and naturally, I would very likely have rated Audrey Hepburn with a solid four stars. But since I unfortunately and aesthetically have really not all that much enjoyed Amaia Arrazala's illustrations, finding them while colourfully bright and descriptive often rather if not overmuch strangely disproportionate with regard to how humans and in particular her depicted children are presented, I really cannot and will not consider more than three stars for Audrey Hepburn and to basically only recommend this book for Maria Sánchez Vegara's delightfully laudatory yet unpretentious narrative, for the author's text, since to and for my eyes and my tastes, Amaia Arrazala's visual depictions are (and sadly once again in the Little People, Big Dreams series) personally a rather total aesthetic bust so to speak, a pretty much all encompassing illustrative disappointment (and yes, it also does increasingly seem to be the case that from the oh so many Little People, Big Dreams books, I will likely only unreservedly enjoy a very very select few of them and that it often does seem as though it is the accompanying illustrations that tend to aesthetically ruin things for me or at least take much of the shine off of my potential reading pleasure).

[Carol Rodríguez · Rating 3 out of 5]

Librito muy, muy infantil, en formato cuento sencillo, con dos frases por página. Es una forma muy atractiva de introducir a los más pequeños en las biografías de las mujeres más influyentes de la historia, en este caso Audrey Hepburn. Es el primer libro que leo de esta colección y pensaba que iba a tener más texto, pero bueno, está simpático y sienta bien las bases para picar la curiosidad y ampliar luego estas biografías. Las ilustraciones, a página completa, corren a cargo de Amaia Arrazola, con su particular estilo y colores muy vivos.

[Jennifer B. · Rating 4 out of 5]

A nice way to introduce people to what a lovely person Ms. Hepburn was, besides a beloved actress and fashion icon.

[Andy · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read this to my three year old daughter quite frequently, she has a few of the Little People, Big Dreams books, but this is by far her favourite.

This book doesn't pretend to be anything that it isn't. It's just a very brief, nicely illustrated overview of the life of Audrey Hepburn. Great as a starting block, to further reading if you want.

Will carry on with this series, as they'll really nifty. :)

[Ginger · Rating 2 out of 5]

Meh. The illustrations were colorful, but not technically very well done or beautiful. There are so many children’s books about Audrey. Go with another.

Just Being Audrey by Margaret Cardillo is much of the same information about her life, but the illustrations are far superior.

[Kirsti · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another strong entry in this series. This one emphasizes Hepburn's work for UNICEF.

[Tina · Rating 4 out of 5]

Audrey was a treasure, beautiful inside and out.

[Ally McCulloch · Rating 5 out of 5]

I knew as soon as I saw this book at the bookstore that I had to get it and share the love of Audrey with all of the children I knew.

[winda · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wherever she went, Audrey tried to make child happy.She helped raise money to provide children with water, food and medicine. Audrey spent the rest of her life helping people across the globe. And that made her happier than acting or dancing ever had

[Cat Fithian · Rating 5 out of 5]

Perfect. I love her. Must find the rest of the series.

[Jeimy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Hepburn’s biography includes WWII, her rise to fame, and her humanitarian work.

[Karen · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book made me happy because Audrey Hepburn is such a worthy subject - someone who put children very much in the forefront of her life. What a good person for little ones to read about.

[Alexandra Freire · Rating 5 out of 5]

En pequeñas líneas y dibujos resumen la vida de una de mis actrices favoritas del viejo Hollywood

[Robin · Rating 4 out of 5]

First published in Spain in 2105 under the title Pequena & Grande Audrey Hepburn by Alba Editorial, Barcelona.

Illustrations by Amaia Arrazola

[Ann-Marie · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a cute book for young children about the iconic Audrey Hepburn.

[🎲🎧❤️CHanCE💔🎼🎲 · Rating 5 out of 5]

I feel bad that Audrey had to leave her town because of war

[HelloLasse · Rating 3 out of 5]

Den startede meget "svag"
Men den blev og blev
Og Audrey Hepburn er inspirerende forbillede og mange børn kan bruge den type af person i fremtiden✨

[Inger · Rating 3 out of 5]

Wat een goede serie om meer te weten te komen over belangrijke vrouwen in de geschiedenis. De illustraties in dit boek vielen me wel echt tegen.

[Dana · Rating 3 out of 5]

Adecuado para el público al que se dirige, aunque no tan uwu

[Danica is Booked · Rating 3 out of 5]

Text-wise, I think Maria did a great job introducing people to Audrey Hepburn and her life and who she was as a person. I didn't love the illustrations in this one, however.

[Tom Schulte · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really, quite a wonderfully arty way to tell a story of a rough life (war, privation) and on to a career in film and as a goodwill ambassador to children.

[Testandopinion · Rating 1 out of 5]

El primer libro que leí de esta colección fue el de Agatha Crhistie y me gustó mucho, pero este en cambio no me a gustado nada, ya que solo se tratan de ilustraciones y no viene acompañado del pequeño texto que si que incluía el otro que os comentaba, lo que hace que, por muy bonitas que sean las ilustraciones, si no conoces la historia de Audrey Hepburn y a ella como tal, no te vas a enterar de nada ya que no hay texto.

[Ben Truong · Rating 4 out of 5]

Audrey Hepburn is the third book in the Little People, Big Dreams series and is a children's picture book written by Isabel Sánchez Vegara and illustrated by Amaia Arrazola. It is a cursory biography of Audrey Hepburn – a little girl who would one day become a world renowned actor and humanitarian.

March, at least in my part of the world is Women's History Month, which I plan to read one children's book, particularly a biography, which pertains to the subject everyday this month. Therefore, I thought that this book would be apropos for today.

Audrey Hepburn (born Audrey Kathleen Ruston) was a British actress, model, dancer and humanitarian. Recognized as a film and fashion icon, Hepburn was active during Hollywood's Golden Age. She was ranked by the American Film Institute as the third-greatest female screen legend in Golden Age Hollywood, and was inducted into the International Best Dressed List Hall of Fame.

Vegara's text is rather simplistic, straightforward, and informative. It starts off with a young Audrey Hepburn from her early life during the Second World War, to her ballet school, her acting career, and her humanitarian work. At the end, there is a concise and informative biography timeline of Audrey Hepburn's life. Arrazola's illustrations are drawn well, albeit a tad simplistic and depicted the narrative rather well also.

The premise of the book is rather straightforward. It depicts Audrey Hepburn's life as a young schoolgirl taking ballet lessons in the Netherlands. Her life is disrupted when the Second World War broke up as she witness many families being broken apart. Eventually, she moves to London and becomes a dancer and eventually an actress of renown. Still, she wanted to do more, and eventually becomes a humanitarian for U.N.I.C.E.F.

All in all, Audrey Hepburn is a wonderful biography of a little girl that dared to dream big and worked hard to accomplish those dreams and became a world renowned actor and humanitarian – Audrey Hepburn.

[Ruth · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ms. Audrey is SUCH an icon! I've often read about her resistance work during the war, but this book doesn't reference that at all.
Of course, she's done SO MANY things in her life, this children's book can't possibly cover it all.

[Alexandra Topitzes · Rating 4 out of 5]

Reading Level: 4.6

Book Level/ Guided Reading Level: S

Little People Big Dreams: Audrey Hepburn is a biography for children that tells a simplified version of the story of Audrey Hepburn’s life from the time she was a young girl in the Netherlands dreaming of becoming a ballerina or actress, to her career as a UNICEF Ambassador. The author takes a special focus on the hardships Audrey faced growing up during World War II, her resilience and determination to make her career dreams come true regardless and her important work with UNICEF, fulfilling her humanitarian desire to give back and help others.

This biography would be suitable as a read aloud for any grade level of elementary grades to introduce biographies in English Language Arts lessons. After exploring biographies written about notable individuals, students could try their hand at writing a biography about someone they know: friend, family member, teacher, coach etc. Furthermore, this book would be a good selection for a child with a 4th-5th grade reading level to use as the topic of a ‘research’ paper on someone famous, or a general book report. The many mentions of World War II an Hepburn’s involvement with UNICEF could also be incorporated into a Social Studies lesson! On an individual basis, this would be a great book for a teacher to recommend to any student who is interested in strong female remodels for independent reading! Additionally, this text would also be a good mentor text to demonstrate the writing traits of conventions, organization, ideas and presentation, for students during writing workshop mini lessons.

[Els · Rating 5 out of 5]

Van klein tot groots: Audrey Hepburn door Maria Isabel Sánchez Vegara met tekeningen van Amaia Arrazola

Oh, weer een nieuw pareltje aan de schitterende ketting genaamd Van klein tot groots. De reeks boeken waarmee kinderen én volwassenen de levensverhalen ontdekken van kleine dromende meisjes die zijn uitgegroeid tot grote sterke vrouwen.

Elk boek wordt geschreven door Sánchez Vegara, de tekenaar wisselt. In dit deel, dat over Audrey Hepburn gaat worden de tekeningen gemaakt door Arrazola. Net als het deel over Coco Chanel is alles aan dit boek perfect. De tekst is boeiend en vlot leesbaar (voor klein en groot), de pagina vullende tekeningen spatten van het papier en de vormgeving is tot in de puntjes af.

Audrey’s verhaal staat vol details die ik niet kende: dat ze geboren is in België en dat ze Unicef ambassadrice is geweest bijvoorbeeld. Elke pagina is mooi genoeg om uit te scheuren en ingelijst aan de muur te hangen (ga ik niet doen, het boek is daar veel te mooi voor, maar toch kriebelt het).

Oh, wat hou ik van deze reeks; in elke vrouw schuilt toch nog steeds dat kleine meisje dat hoopt en droomt en zo veel grootse plannen heeft. Maar gaandeweg geraken die dromen jammer genoeg vaak wat ondergesneeuwd…Het lezen van Audrey Hepburn laat je hart opveren, je glimlach kamerbreed stralen en geeft je goesting om zelf de wereld te gaan veroveren.
Gelukkige meisjes zijn de mooiste meisjes!

[SundayAtDusk · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a wonderful children's biography about actress Audrey Hepburn, one in a series that focuses on famous women. It first covers her childhood in war-torn Belgium, where years of malnutrition dashed her dreams of becoming a ballerina. Miss Hepburn had a Plan B, however--she would dance and act in musicals. That she did, becoming one of the most famous actresses of her time, living a glamorous life.

Yet she never forgot her childhood hunger, and would become a Goodwill Ambassador for UNICEF, helping children around the world. The book does an excellent job describing all of this, with two to five-line paragraphs and bright colorful pictures. At the end, is a two-page biography of Audrey Hepburn for older children and adults, as well as the recommendation for children to also read Just Being Audrey.

(Note: I received a free copy of this book from Amazon Vine.)

[Allison Nicholas · Rating 5 out of 5]

Early Primary

Biographical Nonfiction

This is a great telling of Audrey Hepburn's life. I especially love that they included one of her life mottos, to "live like heaven is on earth", or live life joyfully everyday to the fullest extent that you can. I never knew that Audrey was involved with so many charities and made it a life goal to provide happiness to children internationally, so I enjoyed reading this and finding out more about her :)

[Bethany Corkran · Rating 4 out of 5]

This nonfiction picture book is all about the fantastic life of Audrey Hepburn. She was born into a time of war in the Netherlands. She was privileged enough not to be taken away, but the hunger did reach her family. She suffered as a child, but when the war was over she went to study to be a ballerina. The teachers told her she was too weak from the war, so she went to act in musicals. She got a big break and became very famous, but never forgot where she came from and set out to help everyone she came in contact with. I liked this book because it highlights someone who came out of something very sad and turned it into good. In my classroom, I would read this book during the fall. I would then have my students go outside and pick up one leaf each that is dying. Then we would make an art piece for our bulletin board with broken things that together made something beautiful, just like Audrey Hepburn did with her life.