The "Little People, Big Dreams" series, created by Maria Isabel Sánchez Vegara, introduces young readers to the childhoods of famous figures.

The first titles were published ten years ago, initially in a Spanish collection and later as the independent British publishing project "Little People, Big Dreams," in collaboration with dozens of illustrators.

One of the most recent titles in this collection, to be published this week in English, is dedicated to Cristiano Ronaldo and features illustrations by Portuguese artist João Fazenda.

“Ronaldo’s remarkable and record-breaking career as a global football icon is a story of hard work and determination that will surely resonate with younger sports fans, inspiring them to dream bigger and believe that anything is possible,” says the publishing group The Quarto Group.

Cristiano Ronaldo thus joins a gallery of internationally recognised personalities already portrayed in this collection, in areas as diverse as literature, music, politics, activism, science, and sports.

According to the publisher, the literary collection currently comprises over one hundred short illustrated biographies and is published in several countries – including Portugal – with over 14 million copies sold.

Publication in Portugal

In Portugal, the collection is being published by Nuvem de Letras, part of the Penguin Random House publishing group, with approximately twenty biographies already released, notably those of politician and activist Nelson Mandela, artist Frida Kahlo, scientist Marie Curie, and musician David Bowie.

A source from Nuvem de Letras explained to the Lusa news agency that the next volume in the collection, to be published this year, will be dedicated to Brazilian footballer Pelé, and that there are also plans to publish a book about Cristiano Ronaldo, although a release date has not yet been set.

Boxer Muhammad Ali, racing driver Ayrton Senna, footballer Megan Rapinoe, athlete Usain Bolt, and gymnast Simone Biles are other sports personalities already portrayed in this collection.

The extensive list of personalities covered includes, for example, portraits of artists Pablo Picasso and Andy Warhol, singers Taylor Swift and Beyoncé, activists Malala Yousafzai and Greta Thunberg, scientists Albert Einstein and Charles Darwin, and writers Virginia Woolf and Astrid Lindgren.

Regarding Cristiano Ronaldo, the book recalls that he started playing football at Andorinha, on the island of Madeira, where he was born, and became an "inspiring athlete, a global megastar and one of the best footballers in the world".