William Shakespeare

Learn about the story of William Shakespeare, the incredible playwright and poet who shaped the world of literature.

Little William grew up during the Tudor era, a time long before TV or movies. But then, as now, there was storytelling, and William loved to create new stories. After getting married to his wife, Anne, William moved to London to seek his fortune. He joined a theater there and acted on stage alongside writing his own plays.

His work is some of the most famous literature of all time, loved and performed across the world to this day. From the romance of Romeo and Juliet and the drama of Macbeth, to the farce of A Midsummer Night's Dream and the comedy of Much Ado About Nothing, his works explore an enormous range of emotion, each with its own lessons about the human experience.

As the book follows Shakespeare's journey, young readers will see how his imagination and curiosity helped him to write incredible tales. They will learn of the challenges he faced in pursuing his dreams, the joy of performing, and the excitement of seeing his plays come alive on stage. The story also highlights his creativity in capturing different human emotions, from love and jealousy to humour and magic, showing how he became the storyteller we still celebrate today.

A truly timeless, iconic figure, William Shakespeare forever changed language and culture with his incredible gift for literature. This powerful book is complete with captivating illustrations and extra facts at the back, including a biographical timeline and a detailed profile of his 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

Author: Maria Isabel Sanchez Vegara
Publisher: Frances Lincoln Ltd
Published: 03/10/2026
Pages: 32
Binding Type: Hardcover
Weight: 0.70lbs
Size: 9.65h x 7.93w x 0.42d
ISBN: 9781805701675
Audience: Ages 4-8


Review Citation(s):
Booklist 02/01/2026

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. ​

Andrea Stegmaier loves to make books. As a kid she made books for her dolls, later she made books for her kids, and now she makes books for everyone. She went to university to study architecture, but that's a different story. Andrea lives with her family in Stuttgart, a busy town in Germany.