Review - Mahatma Gandhi

Mahatma Gandhi (Little People, BIG DREAMS)
by Mª Isabel Sánchez Vegara
illustrated by Albert Arrayás
Date: 2019
Publisher: Frances Lincoln Children's Books
Reading level: C
Book type: picture book non-fiction
Pages: 32
Format: e-book
Source: NetGalley

New in the Little People, Big Dreams series, discover the life of Mohandas Gandhi, the father of India, in this true story of his life. As a young teenager in India, Gandhi led a rebellious life and went against his parents' values. But as a young man, he started to form beliefs of his own that harked back to the Hindu principles of his childhood. Gandhi began to dream of unity for all peoples and religions. Inspired by this idea, he led peaceful protests to free India from British rule and unite the country—ending violence and unfair treatment. His bravery and free-thinking made him one of the most iconic people of peace in the world, known as 'Mahatma' meaning 'great soul'.

With innovative illustrations and extra facts at the back, this empowering series celebrates the important life stories of wonderful people of the world.

(synopsis from NetGalley; see it on Goodreads)

This is a very sanitized children's biographical picture book. It's not that I was expecting it to talk about Gandhi's explicit racism, mistreatment of his family, or sexual habits... but I would've liked at least a bit of skepticism. This book almost deifies him, while ignoring all of the problematic aspects of his life.

Unlike with some of the other books in this series, I did sort of like the illustrations in this one. That's a plus. On the downside, the book refers to Gandhi as "Mahatma" before that term is actually explained; that should've been caught by an editor.

Knowing what we now know about Gandhi, this was a risky choice of topic for a picture book. I was hoping to have at least some of the controversy addressed. Instead, this is a very one-sided look at a man who may have done some great things... but was far from a saint in other respects. Such an uncritical look at a person's life tends to read more like propaganda than a balanced biography. So I can't really recommend this one.

Thank you to NetGalley and Frances Lincoln Children's Books for providing a digital ARC.

Premise: 2/5
Meter: n/a
Writing: 2/5
Illustrations: 3/5
Originality: 2/5

Enjoyment: 2/5

Overall: 2.17 out of 5