Queen Elizabeth (Little People, Big Dreams), by Maria Isabel Sanchez Vegara (Author), Johnson, Melissa Lee (Illustrator)

First, a personal note. As someone owned by a corgi mix, I was delighted to see the prominence given to the adorably cute royal corgis throughout. After all, Queen Elizabeth brought the corgi breed to international attention and at one time owned 30 corgis. Heck, even though the book ends prior to her death, two of her corgis (not to mention one of her horses) made an appearance at the state funeral recently. 

That said, I'm glad the book not only ended on a happy note but didn't go into the royal shenanigans and issues the Queen faced during her long reign. This is a book for young readers, aimed at simply introducing them to a prominent figure and no need to taint that experience. Bad stuff happens to all of us, so appreciate the focus on her life and accomplishments.

As a former teacher, I immediately latched onto the possibilities for discussion of a various things that the book might promote. For instance, is being a queen as fairy tale wonderful as it sounds? What did she have to give up to fill the role of queen? What would you be willing to give up to reach your goals? How is someone prepared for such a role as they grow up? How would you feel knowing your every word, action, appearance, and even wardrobe (right down to the purse she carried) will be analyzed and reported on endlessly? How much freedom and power does a modern queen have anyway? How is it possible there have been more than one Queen Elizabeth in history? On a personal note, to instill interest in history, one might venture into creating family trees. Discovering you have royal bloodlines, however minute, is a way to make history personal and more interesting than a recitation of mere facts. And....so much more. 

Bottom line, this is a bare bones, upbeat look at the life and times of the late Queen Elizabeth. It's an easy read, part of the #LittlePeopleBigDreams series, although reading with a parent opens many other possibilities, and is delightfully illustrated. And, yes, dog lovers, there are many, many corgis that pop up on just about every page. Fun book and shows how childhood dreams can alter. A timeline and real life photos are included at the end.

Thanks #NetGalley and #QuartoPublishingGroup - #FrancesLincolnChildren'sBooks for allowing me this lovely peek into the late Queen Elizabeth's life.