Genius of Leonardo - Softcover

Visconti, Guido

Softcover

ISBN 10: 1782852778 ISBN 13: 9781782852773

Publisher: Barefoot Books, 2016

Synopsis

Artist, engineer, pacifist, inventor: Leonardo da Vinci was a genius of a very particular kind. This introduction to his life and work is vividly retold through the eyes of his young apprentice, Giacomo, making it easy for young readers to relate to his story.

About this title

Review

'1490. Giacomo has come to live with me. He is ten years old. He is a liar, a thief and a greedy brute.' Leonardo Da Vinci's description of his mischievous new apprentice has survived the centuries to fire the imagination of writer Visconti, who has made Giacomo and his enquiring mind the focus of this charming, informative and exquisitely illustrated biography. The young boy follows and learns from his master as he paints his masterpieces, frees the caged birds of the marketplace and explains the workings of the universe. The illustrations of award-winning artist Landmann, whose previous work was selected as one of the Smithsonian's 1999 Notable Books for Children List, are a dreamlike medieval tapestry of captivating power. Including many of Leonardo's original words and sketches of his inventions, this entertaining biography will ably comunicate to a young mind the genius and humanity of a man who was centuries ahead of his time.' --Kirkus UK

'Thought-provoking and utterly fascinating, The Genius of Leonardo is also a stunningly beautiful book. Giacomo, da Vinci's young assistant, tells of his time with the artist, subtly drawing attention to the extent to which he was startlingly ahead of his time.' --The Guardian

'The genius of Leonardo da Vinci is conveyed in a warm and entertaining tale at the heart of which is the relationship between Leonardo and his apprentice Giacomo. The illustrations are full of fascinating details, inviting us into the everyday world of Leonardo. The clarity of line and earthy colours are ideally sited to locating the tale evocatively within the Florentine architectural landscape. The challenge of such a biography to get across the extent and variety of Leonardo da Vinci's genius without resorting to a mere list of his achievements is brilliantly met both in the tale and in the book's frame of a double page at the beginning and end full of Leonardo's sketches... This is a wonderful book, to be enjoyed again and again by readers far outside the publisher's suggested ages of 8 to 12.' --Montessori Magazine

From the Author

Guido Visconti is an Italian writer and philosopher. In 1985, he and his wife moved from Italy to India, where they now direct a village school. Bimba Landmann is a highly acclaimed Italian illustrator whose A Boy Named Giotto was a Smithsonian Notable Book for Children. Bimba has also won prestigious awards in France and Germany. She lives in Milan.

About this edition

• Publisher: Barefoot Books
• Publication date: 2016
• ISBN 10: 1782852778
• ISBN 13: 9781782852773
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 40
• Illustrator: Landmann Bimba