Posted on November 24, 2025
Discover the inspiring story of Mikaela Shiffrin, a record-breaking alpine skier who battled tough times to become the very best.
Mikaela grew up under a snowy mountain in Colorado, USA. Her family were all big fans of skiing and by the age of two she was already gliding all by herself, determined to beat her brother! This was to be a theme throughout Mikaela’s career as, inspired by skier Heidi Voelker’s message as a junior skier she added the acronym A.B.F.T.T.B to her helmet: ‘Always Be Faster Than The Boys’!
Mikaela truly fell in love with skiing when at the age of just six she started training for slalom. She went to the Burke Mountain Academy, a top US ski school and at sixteen won her first World Cup trophy. Between 2013-2018, Mikaela broke many records and won two Olympic Golds – one at the Winter Olympics in Russia in 2014 and one at the Winter Olympics in South Korea in 2018.
The Shiffrin family was very close – Mikaela’s mum was her coach, best friend and travel buddy, while her dad helped with her training and provided great emotional support. At the height of Mikaela’s success and fame her dad died following a tragic accident. Mikaela was devastated and considered giving up skiing. She persevered however and despite a tough Olympics in 2022, she went on to win her 100th World Cup race in 2025 at the age of 29.
Considered the greatest skier of all time, Mikaela’s story is a thrilling ride of perseverance, discipline, and the pursuit of excellence. Today she works to help inspire the next generation of skiers, not only encouraging them to succeed and win, but to have fun and enjoy the ride.
Posted on October 27, 2025
For every book sold, a donation will be paid to Maggie’s, a charity that helps families living with cancer. Discover the life of Sir Chris Hoy, the cycling champion who became an inspiration to millions.
As a boy growing up in Scotland, Chris loved nothing more than racing around on his BMX and dreaming of becoming a champion. He wasn’t the fastest cyclist at first, but did that stop him? No! He quickly learned the value of hard work and perseverance, equipping him with the tools he needed to push forward. With determination, courage, and relentless effort, he went on to become one of the greatest cyclists of all time, winning six Olympic gold medals and eleven world titles!
But Chris’s story doesn’t end at the finish line. After retiring, he became an author, writing books to inspire children and young athletes to chase their dreams. In 2024, he showed remarkable courage once again, by openly sharing his cancer diagnosis and offering hope through his strength.
With lively illustrations and fascinating facts, this book takes young readers on an inspiring adventure through Chris’s incredible journey – showing that with passion, perseverance and a dream to follow, anything is possible!
Posted on August 27, 2025
Discover the incredible story of Oprah Winfrey, the trailblazing entertainer, businessperson, and global icon. From a young girl living in poverty to becoming one of the most influential celebrities in the world and the first Black female billionaire, Oprah’s journey shows the power of dreaming big. Inspiring and insightful, Little People, BIG DREAMS: Oprah Winfrey teaches children the power of empathy, ambition, and determination.
Learn about the inspiring story of Oprah Winfrey! The trailblazing entertainer and businessperson who became a global icon.
Growing up between Mississippi, Wisconsin, and Tennessee, little Oprah loved reading and performing poems and Bible verses at church. Sadly, life at home was very tricky. She lived in poverty and was not always treated with kindness. But Oprah didn’t let this hold her back. She worked hard to achieve a scholarship to university, and by age nineteen she was a news anchor on television!
From there, she went on to host her own TV show, The Oprah Winfrey Show, and became a household name. Her empathy and openness changed television forever. She became one of the most powerful voices in media, working as an actor and producer as well as an interviewer and host, and proved herself to be an amazing businessperson. Oprah didn’t stop there: she used her success to become a philanthropist and advocate for education and social justice. From the bestselling series Little People, BIG DREAMS, this title is the perfect gift for little storytellers and budding entrepreneurs.
This powerful book features quirky illustrations and extra facts at the back, including a biographical timeline with historical photos and a detailed profile of Oprah’s life.
Praise for the Little People, BIG DREAMS Advent Calendar 2024:
- HELLO! Magazine – “Beautiful . . . the most gorgeous keepsake!”
- The Independent – “Great . . . will inspire and entertain.”
- Good Housekeeping – Best Book Advent Calendars – “Gorgeously-designed”
- Prime – Best Kids Advent Calendars – “Sure to inspire them and even you.”
The countdown to Christmas has never been more inspiring with NEW 2025 Advent Calendar collection, featuring a mini-book about an iconic figure for each day of advent!
Inside each envelope, children will find stories about inspirational people from across the world, from David Attenborough to Rosa Parks.
A fantastically festive way to enjoy the multimillion-copy bestselling Little People, BIG DREAMS series.
Director, writer, editor, producer . . . Steven Spielberg is the person behind some of the most celebrated films ever made. Little People, BIG DREAMS Steven Spielberg is an empowering testament to believing in yourself and following your childhood dream.
Little Steven was six when he first went to the cinema. Although he didn’t understand the story, he was captivated by the beauty of the moving pictures on screen. Soon after, he picked up his Dad’s film camera and began experimenting. By his teens he was making short films – carefully crafting every part of the process, from writing the scripts to directing the shots.
Filmmaking was a refuge for Steven, who faced bullying and anti semitism at school. With his camera, editing machine and notebook he could create a world he felt safe in. As he grew, he found somewhere else he felt at home: Universal studios. He first visited the company’s lot during a studio tour, and was later hired after impressing executives with a short films. Within a few years, Steven went from making TV movies to cinematic blockbusters. Audiences fell in love with his heartwarming adventures, like ET and Jurassic Park, and were deeply moved by his film about the Holocaust, Schindler’s List.
After a lifetime of accolades and awards, Steven remains happiest behind a camera – telling stories that encourage us to open our hearts and minds.
Learn about the inspiring story of Ludwig van Beethoven, the ground-breaking pianist and composer who changed the shape of classical music.
Little Ludwig grew up in the city of Bonn in Germany. His father and his grandfather were both musicians, and they hoped that Ludwig would take after them, but there’s no way they could have known what Ludwig would one day achieve. He learned to play the piano before his feet could even touch the floor, and his talent only continued to grow with his hard work as he got older. He went on to compose amazing musical pieces, including symphonies for a whole orchestra, and his energy and originality blew his audiences away! But his musical skill was about to be put to the test . . . Ludwig began to lose his hearing, and eventually became deaf. He was really worried, as music was his life! But then he realised something amazing: he could still hear every instrument in his mind. Through resilience and creativity, Ludwig continued composing extraordinary pieces that changed musical history.
Ludwig van Beethoven is one of the most impactful musicians of all time. His inspiring story shows the power of music as a force for creativity and self-expression.
Learn about incredible story of Virginia Woolf! The modernist writer and feminist.
Born into an artistic household, little Virginia loved writing. At nine years old, she started a newspaper about her family – delighting relatives with her wit and wisdom. But life took a sad turn in her teens, when he mother, sister and father passed away just a few years apart. Having fallen into a depression, Virginia stopped writing. It took time, but she eventually felt well enough to pick up her pen again. As an adult, she wrote reviews, poems, essays, novels . . . using her writing to express her ideas and soothe her mind. She was determined that her books would be different from the popular Victorian novels of the time and became known for her inventive way of capturing characters’ thoughts and feelings. From Mrs Dalloway to The Waves, Virginia’s work surprised and delighted readers and changed the course of literary history forever.
Virginia Woolf is a literary giant and feminist icon whose works have become classics. Her story shows the power of writing as a form of self-expression and source of comfort.
Discover the inspirational story of Bob Marley, the man who moved the world with his music and inspired generations with his message of peace, love and hope.
Born to a Black mother and a white father, little Bob learned at a very young age that life could be difficult for reasons that don’t make sense. He was often bullied for the colour of his skin, but he never let unkindness harden his heart; instead, he dreamt of a world where everyone could belong.
At twelve years old he moved to the sunny Caribbean town of Kingston and promptly fell in love with Ska, a popular style of music indigenous to Jamaica, and spent years writing songs and taking guitar lessons to hone his skills. And then? Bob Marley and the Wailers were born!
From then on, Bob began to practise Rastafari beliefs, and through Reggae used their lyrics and melodies to fight for social justice and advocate for peace. Before long, his songs were spreading a message of unity across the world.
Bob Marley was, and is, a cultural icon, whose work and message remain as relevant as ever. His story demonstrates the power of music as a force for good and the joy to be found when we open our hearts to others.
Discover the inspiring story of Yves Saint Laurent, the ground-breaking designer who changed fashion forever.
Growing up in the Algerian city of Oran, little Yves loved exploring his mother’s wardrobe and designing dresses for paper dolls. But life outside his family wasn’t always happy – at school, he was teased for having different hobbies and sometimes, he even pretended to be ill to avoid lessons. Still, Yves didn’t let the mean voices hold him back. He continued to carve his creative path and spent hours sewing tiny outfits from scraps of fabric, dreaming of a future in fashion.
At eighteen, his hard work paid off when he was invited to join a top fashion school in Paris, and after even more hard work, Yves was invited to join the famous fashion house Dior, where he became their lead designer! Later, with the support of his lifelong partner Pierre, Yves started his own fashion house. His bold and stylish designs – like tuxedo suits and pea coats – revolutionised women’s clothing and continue to influence fashion today.
Yves’s story shows the power of staying true to your dreams – even when it’s challenging. Inspiring and beautifully told, Little People, BIG DREAMS: Yves Saint Laurent teaches children about courage, creativity, and self-expression.
Little People, BIG DREAMS Louis Braille explores the life of the remarkable man behind Braille, the tactile reading and writing system.
Little Louis was a curious child – always exploring and having adventures. Then one day, while playing in his father’s workshop, he had an accident with a tool and eventually lost sight in both eyes. It was tricky to get used to, but with help from his family and a local teacher, Louis continued to learn and explore.
Aged ten, he moved to Paris to start at the Royal Institute for the Young Blind. Unfortunately, the school used a system that was very tricky, and didn’t allow pupils to write. Disappointed with alternatives, Louis began to develop his own system. When he shared his invention four years later, his teachers and classmates were amazed – his system used just six dots in a tiny space that fit under his fingertip, and included a complete alphabet, with punctuation marks, numbers and mathematical symbols.
It took many years for his system to be widely used, but little by little it spread across the world and came to be known as Braille. Today, Braille is used by more than six million people and there are codes for more than 133 languages.
