Cristiano Ronaldo - (Little People, Big Dreams) by Maria Isabel Sanchez Vegara (Hardcover)

Book Synopsis

Discover the incredible story of Cristiano Ronaldo, an inspirational athlete, global megastar, and one of the world's greatest footballers.

Born on the island of Madeira in Portugal, Cristiano grew up playing football from a very young age. With determination and self-belief, he pursued his dream of becoming a professional player, overcoming setbacks and challenges--including surgery for a heart condition called tachycardia--along the way. From his first matches in local clubs to international stardom, his journey shows the power of hard work, resilience, and courage.

This inspiring book introduces children to Ronaldo's record-breaking career, including three consecutive Premier League titles with Manchester United, victories in the Champions League and Club World Cup, and his record transfer to Real Madrid in 2009.

Ronaldo's remarkable, record-breaking career is a story of hard work and determination, one that is sure to resonate with young sports fans, inspiring them to dream big and believe that anything is possible. Ronaldo is also known for his charity work, using his fame to raise awareness and help good causes. Young readers will learn how he followed his passion, never gave up, and became a role model for millions around the world, both on and off the pitch.

This inspirational book also features dynamic illustrations and extra facts at the back, including a biographical timeline with historical photos and a detailed profile of the athlete's life.

Little People, BIG DREAMS is a bestselling biography series for kids that explores 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 of books 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. With rewritten text for older children, the treasuries each bring together a multitude of dreamers in a single volume. You can also collect a selection of the books by theme in boxed gift sets. Activity books and a journal provide even more ways to make the lives of these role models accessible to children.

Select praise for the New York Times Bestselling Little People, BIG DREAMS series:

"...cute and quirky..."--USA Today, in praise of Dolly Parton
"...address[es] not only setbacks but also their strength to persevere and reach their goals."--Buzzfeed, in praise of RuPaul
"...introduc[es] kids to important figures in Latinx history."--Good Housekeeping, in praise of Frida Kahlo
"...[an] extraordinary series..."--TheEverymom, in praise of Mindy Kaling
"...a fabulous way to teach little ones about the extraordinary lives of influential people..."--Town & Country, in praise of Vincent Van Gogh
"...handled in an age appropriate way..."--Parents.com, in praise of Amanda Gorman
"...particularly great for this age..."--NY Magazine, in praise of Prince
"...encourages kids to dream big to 'achieve incredible things.'"--Rolling Stone, in praise of Kamala Harris

About the Author

Maria Isabel Sánchez Vegara, born in Barcelona, Spain, is a writer and creative director in constant search of new concepts for children's books. In 2014, she created a book for her two twin nieces for their birthday, which shortly thereafter became the first book in the Little People, BIG DREAMS series. This multimillion-copy bestselling series of picture books explores the lives of outstanding people. From Mahatma Gandhi to Aretha Franklin, to Prince, Sánchez Vegara researches complex careers and makes them accessible to young children, with her unique and mindful style of writing. She works with a diverse team of illustrators to make each book lively, eye-catching and motivating. Working for more than fifteen years for clients in top advertising agencies, her books combine creativity with learning, aiming to establish a new and fresh relationship between children and pop culture. ​

João Fazenda is a Portuguese illustrator. He studied graphic design and graduated in Fine Arts from the Lisbon Faculty of Arts, before going on to dedicate himself full time to creating images for a variety of stories and media. In his work he aims to explore the endless relationship between drawing and narrative in its many ways. He lives and works between London and Lisbon.