I was really nervous going into this edition of the Little people, BIG DREAMS series. There aren't many stories that touch me on such an emotional level as that of Alan Turing. Over the years I had the chance to get my hands on different kinds of picture books, graphic novels etc. from all around the world telling his story and some still haunt me up to this day.

Reading his story now in this book series felt so important and still like something quite impossible. How can you tell the story of such a tragic life on just a few pages and still stay true to the inspiring character of this book series? I was sure that they would cut more of his life that I'd feel comfortable with and with that feeling I started the book.

To say I'm pleasantly surprised would be an understatement. Of course you can't tell his whole story on only 12 pages, but this edition still does an amazing job summarising his life and giving you an idea of how much there is to learn about the man that was Alan Turing. For me it was hard to see how little there was about his last years, but I think it dealt with it in a good way that gives parents the freedom to go more into detail if they want and choose to, but that isn't too much for the youngest readers.

If I imagine myself reading this as a kid and learning the whole story later in life, I think I'd be shocked, but I think this book would also make me want to learn more about him in the first place. I'm glad that Turing is part of this series now and that it does talk open about his sexuality. The way this series chose to face this part of his life was respectful and still in some way powerful. And for that I'm really grateful.

The Little People, BIG REAMS books are a great way to inspire your kids to dream big. And to stay true to themselves.

Lovely book that could use some editing

Another book of the "Little People Big Dreams" series. I had read about Alan Turing before and really enjoyed this book. The illustrations are lovely, except for some very stereotypical depictions of gay men on the secod to last page. This book deals with a number of issues, namely war, death and homosexuality. I do think that children will ask some questions after this book - some things are mentioned in passing and might leave children wanting more information. For example, Alan's friend Christopher dies, which is mentioned in passing in one sentence. What happened, do people just die like that? Also, the homosexuality seems to be mentioned too quickly and without any explanation. Finally, there are a number of grammatical errors in this book, which seems like the editing was done hastily. I think if this book receives some more editing it could be a valuable and inspiring childrens book!

The ARC of this book was provided by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

The ‘My First Little People, Big Dreams’ series provides informative and inspirational biographies about people who left a mark on this earth, no matter what difficulties they have encountered.
These stories are very short, but that’s because they’re books for children, so it’s totally understandable.
I think they are a very smart and wonderful way to introduce little children to such important figures.
This one here is about Alan Turing, the English famous mathematician. I already knew his story thanks to the movie The Imitation Game, in which Benedict Cumberbatch played Alan. It was really nice to revive his story. He had such a brilliant mind!
In addition, I did love very much that the mistreatment of gay people, of him in particular, was mentioned here. It is important to let kids know about all this, in order to prevent such horrible mistakes to be made again.

Alan Turing by Maria Isabel Sanchez Vegara is another delightful addition to the Little People BIG DREAMS franchise. This time around, the subject is the computer science genius, whose code-cracking played such a pivotal role in defeating the Nazis during World War II. Turing's homosexuality, and resulting persecution, are also noted, giving a well-balanced account of a remarkable life.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Quarto Publishing Group - Frances Lincoln Childrens for this ARC.

I've enjoyed very many of these young children's biographies about a host of different people. This one is about computer scientist Alan Turing, who was responsible for breaking the secret of a major German coding machine in World War Two and who was subsequently persecuted for his homosexuality.

Way to thank a war hero, UK! He was, at long last, pardoned, but he should never have been arrested for it in the first place, and the pardon came long years after his suicide. If he'd been hailed as the hero he was and funded, he could have put Britain at the forefront of computing.

This book doesn't pull any punches and tells his story simply and in enough detail for young minds without overdoing it. It's nicely-illustrated by Hunter and is well worth the reading. I commend it. There is one small glitch which hopefully will have been fixed before this goes on sale. At the back of each of these books is a timeline with actual photographs of the subject at different points in their life. This book is no different, but the person featured in the photographs isn't Alan Turing; it's Astrid Lindgren, author of the Pippi Longstocking books! While Turing might well have been amused by this, it really needs to be fixed.

I usually love the Little People, Big Dreams books, but I have several reservations about this one. Several difficult topics are covered here, and while I know children are completely capable of understanding and dealing with death and the reprehensible treatment of LGBTIAQ folks in history, this text leaves some pretty big questions lying there, and a lot of kids will pick them up. Christopher does "suddenly" and with no explanation. A sentence about how he'd had tuberculosis (or even just "an illness") for years before succumbing would help stave off some kids' questions and fears. The mention of "a bizarre" treatment" that Turing is subjected to leaves about a hundred questions unanswered.
Overall, a lovely little book about an important figure, but do some research Before reading it to a child because they will have questions.

This is a great addition the the series, the artwork is accessible the story doesn't shy away from the LGBTQ+ side of things, and nor should it, but a tragic story is handled with the sensitivity needed to show the gravity of his end.

This series is always a joy to read, it’s a really nice introduction to well known people for little children. Of course the plot is always a little bit fast but that’s to be expected and it’s totally understandable. This book here is about Alan Turing, the father of computer science. I already knew his story thanks to the 2014 biographical movie The Imitation Game but it was definitely nice to read it in this format as well. I think the author did a great job in telling us the most important moments of his life. And also, I really appreciated how the mistreatment of gay people was included in the narrative. It's something horrible that happened and that we need to talk about, even with children.

This series has had so many hits and misses for me, I lose track of where I am in my appreciation for it. This was one of the better ones, for the biography managed to tell us all we really needed to know, of the subject's sexuality, his secretive war work, and the problems that beset him afterwards thanks to wicked laws then active here in the UK. Other books in the past under this banner have struggled to convince me the subject was right for a series of such notables, or missed the boat when it came to level of detail, but this managed it perfectly. Until, that is, you come to consider the artwork – childishly flat in perspective, using white outlines as if everything has been cut out and assembled on a cheap animation studio table, and giving the token modern gay man at the end a moustache right from the cliché corner, half Freddie Mercury and half Russian circus strongman. Yeesh. So ignore the flaws in the art here and you'll get a welcome book – and any book that corrects Hollywood's idea that Enigma was cracked by the Americans is a step in the right direction. Three and a half stars, though, as the visuals really are a let-down.