Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #607730 in Books
• Published on: 2000-09-01
• Original language: English
• Binding: Hardcover
• 40 pages

From Amazon.com
This engaging picture-book biography of Leonardo da Vinci is told from the perspective of his 10-year-old assistant, Giacomo. He looks on in wonder as Leonardo paints the Mona Lisa, designs a flying machine--and, less impressively, plays practical jokes on him. The basics of Leonardo's life are all here, including his habit of buying and releasing caged birds and his reluctant move, late in life, to the French court. But young readers will learn most about da Vinci's ideas--on painting, science, and the nature of time. Cleverly interleaved with short quotations from the master's own writings, The Genius of Leonardo leaves a vivid impression of what it must have been like for a child to be an apprentice to such a genius. A nice touch is that Leonardo doesn't know everything: Giacomo's last question, about the moon, is beyond him, and Leonardo's assistant is left to speculate about knowledge and inventions yet to come. As in the spectacular A Boy Named Giotto, Bimba Landmann's gorgeous paintings are melancholy and oddly--but strangely aptly--medieval looking. (Ages 9 and older) --Richard Farr

From Publishers Weekly
Intelligent as its text may be, this apprentice's-eye view of Leonardo da Vinci is overshadowed by the illustrations. The picture-book biography offers a glimpse of the master's later years, including his paintings of the Mona Lisa and The Last Supper. Visconti incorporates comments from Leonardo's notebooks as he imagines exchanges between the great artist and an inquisitive but not always dependable young servant. Landmann, whose artwork was ideally matched to A Boy Named Giotto, here seems stylistically at odds with her subject. Her eerily elongated figures, with their mask-like Byzantine faces slanting down upon their necks, take on perpetually mournful postures. The greenish skin tones, the arid landscapes and the forceful stillness of the compositions contribute to a generally morbid air that the illustrator's splashes of silver ink do little to dispel. Landmann's renderings of Leonardo's sketches and of his Mona Lisa are swift gestures, a shorthand that implies the audience's foreknowledge. Readers who want to learn the details of the Italian Renaissance leader's life, scientific explorations and artwork would do better with Diane Stanley's Leonardo da Vinci. Ages 7-up. (Sept.)
Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From School Library Journal
Grade 1-5-This picture-book biography offers a personal vision of the famous artist, engineer, inventor, and musician from Vinci as described through the voice of his mischievous, 10-year-old apprentice, Giacomo. While the boy's feelings are a fabrication, the events (including his lifelong relationship to Leonardo) are historically accurate. Quotes from the artist's journals are incorporated into the story and appear in italics. However, it is Landmann's stylized paintings that immediately confront readers with a sense of Leonardo's eccentricities and personality. The figures have elongated features and highly modeled faces with pensive expressions. The settings are dreamlike with curving perspectival lines. The objects and people are all influenced by the predominant color of the page, by turns bluish, golden, or peach. In addition, a series of Leonardo's original sketches opens and concludes the book and his drawings appear throughout. This emotive work would prove a fascinating contrast to Diane Stanley's elegant portrait of the man in Leonardo da Vinci (Morrow, 1996). Janis Herbert's Leonardo da Vinci for Kids (Chicago Review, 1998) provides in-depth information and related activities.
Wendy Lukehart, Dauphin County Library, Harrisburg, PA
Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Customer Reviews

Six Stars!
The illustrations by Bimba Landmann are amazing, making the book a work of art. The text is meaty, telling us a lot about Leonardo and his ideas (with direct quotes). Kids will relate to the mischievous character of Giacomo, Leonardo's 10-year-old assistant, who frequently annoys his famous boss. I would recommend this book for anyone age 6 to adult!

Enjoyed it despite myself
When I first saw the cover and title for this book, I was pretty sure I wasn't going to like it. The illustrations did not remind me of Leonardo Da Vinci. I was ready to be disappointed. Instead, I was surprised when I found myself enjoying the book. I like the portrayal of Leonardo and his apprentice. The genius of the man is portrayed while still keeping him imperfect. Leonardo doesn't have answers for all of life's questions. Still, the book reminded me how fascinating math and science can be while reminding me why the Renaissance is such a fascinating time in history. All around, this is a wonderful book.