I recently refound the Little People, Big Dreams series. I had given them a break because they were doing the same people other series were doing. Nothing wrong with that, but I needed something new. And when I found them again, there were people that were new to me or new to children’s picture book biographies. Or people I was surprised that readers/authors/creators of series were still thinking of them, or at least to the point that they felt a new biography was needed (I honestly was surprised to see a Steve Irwin one a while back). When I found Lenny Henry my first thought was, “Oh who is this?” I was not familiar with this trailblazer. And when I started reading this fun introduction to his life, I was amazed at the power he had.
He is a person that covers many areas. He is black history, England’s history, comedic history and an author as well. I am going to assume many people do not know who he is, but will after reading this Maria Isabel Sanchez Vegara book. This picture book (read via an online reader copy; due February 2024) is exactly what was needed when I said I needed a new person in a biography.
And Diane Ewen’s illustrations hit the spot. They bring out the era things are happening in (bell bottoms anyone?), and the spirit of the subject (you can see the mischievousness in Henry’s eyes). The usual colors and style of the art itself is there, allowing the series to keep its uniformed look, and still capturing the uniqueness of the subject.