mrsbond's review against another edition
3.0
An almost overwhelming amount of information poured onto each page; this is certainly a thorough look at DaVinci. Alongside the main text the sidebars add additional facts and quotes. Color everywhere - the illustrations are fantastic. Additional reference aids: Timeline begins with Leonardo's birth, covers major events in Leonardo's life as well as world events that would have interested or impacted him, ends with 1880's publication of Leonardo's notebooks. Bibliography includes sources for quotes, helpful references for illustrations, www resources, and additional books for children and young adults.
calistareads's review against another edition
4.0
Great book! This is for the kid who is interested in how things work and has patience. It is a very long biography of Leonardo di Vinci. I think it would be better for older children. It took close to an hour to read. Most children will not be interested. I personally thought this was a great book as an adult. There is so many facts and cool information packed into this book. I love this quote:
"If you do not rest upon the good foundation of Nature, you will labor with little honor and less profit. Those who take for their standards anyone but Nature- the mistress of all masters- weary themselves in vain."
To be so constantly curious what would that be like? I am curious, but not every moment of every day like this genius. Must be why I'm a regular person and not a genius. This is such a fascinating person. I want to read the large work that was recently published by the famous biographer someday. I hear it is dense and slow going. Someday. I would like to strive to be more like Leonardo and let my curiosity grow more. It is important for people in my profession of acupuncture.
I read certain pages to my niece who has interest in science things. She was interested for a page or so at a time. She found it interesting and she hasn't finished it yet. I think we will in the future. She has a keen mind.
"If you do not rest upon the good foundation of Nature, you will labor with little honor and less profit. Those who take for their standards anyone but Nature- the mistress of all masters- weary themselves in vain."
To be so constantly curious what would that be like? I am curious, but not every moment of every day like this genius. Must be why I'm a regular person and not a genius. This is such a fascinating person. I want to read the large work that was recently published by the famous biographer someday. I hear it is dense and slow going. Someday. I would like to strive to be more like Leonardo and let my curiosity grow more. It is important for people in my profession of acupuncture.
I read certain pages to my niece who has interest in science things. She was interested for a page or so at a time. She found it interesting and she hasn't finished it yet. I think we will in the future. She has a keen mind.
booksaremagic's review
4.0
I love this book, and so do my children! It focuses, to start, on an early memory of Leonardo's of being almost attacked by a huge bird of prey. Next up: his love of the natural world, observing it and experimenting with it. Insects, snakes, tadpoles, spiders, other wee things. He made a dragon shield for his uncle when he was a boy that actually breathed out smoke! It was so horrific - ahem, lifelike - that his father ran screaming from the room. Allegedly. If you can't tell, I enjoy this book! The only thing I would change about it was the style of drawing. The illustrations have a cartoonish feel. They are still attractive, and the only reason it bothered me this much is that my younger son was looking for the Mona Lisa in the book and couldn't spot the scene as easily as usual because the illustration was more cartoonish and less a faithful reproduction of his work. It wasn't meant to be a reproduction book, after all. This book combined with Diane Stanley's beautifully illustrated Leonardo da Vinci makes a wonderful pair.
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