Krull, Kathleen. (2005). Leonardo da Vinci. [Giants of Science Series]. New York: Viking Kids. 128 pages. ISBN 9780670059201.
Awards/Selection Lists: ALSC Notable Books lists 2002-2013
Author's Website:
http://www.kathleenkrull.com/science.html
http://www.kathleenkrull.com/science.html
Brief Summary: A brief but thorough biography of one of the most enigmatic figures of history, focusing on the circumstances of his life but also of his true passion, and the subject which he contributed most to over the course of his life, Science.
Personal Reaction: I really enjoyed this book. As a matter of fact, I read it in one sitting. Part of this could be due to the fact that Leonardo da Vinci is one of my favorite characters from history. With his talent in art, inquisitive mind, many idiosyncrasies, distaste for politics, constant observation, private, unobtrusive and playful nature and obsessive genius, there is so much to learn about this man who is so often known for his artwork, but who desperately wanted to be known for his science. It could also be that I find myself identifying with him, with our similar obsession with flight and wings, difficulty focusing and completing one task at a time, observing everything and everyone, finding beauty in infinitesimal details, curiosity about water, nature and how the world works. It could also simply be that Krull relays Leonardo's story with an anecdotal overtone on top of excellent research, poignant details and possible conjectures where information may be missing, that reels in the reader, not only forming an emotional connection, but forcing the reader to ask the same questions that went through Leonardo's mind, "What if?"
Often non-fiction gets a bad wrap, as being dry and stuffy, full of facts and figures that hold little interest. This is definitely not true of this book, or this series. It is engaging, interesting, informative and kept me saying "just a couple more pages" until I found myself at the end of the book wish there was more, though I do wish there were more of the beautiful illustrations. It also tackles the difficult topic of legitimacy, homosexuality and its persecution, which affected Leonardo's life from start to finish. While more conservative readers may find this shocking, I find it to be perfectly appropriate for middle school children and I would be perfectly willing to discuss the topic with readers as young as 8, given the appropriate context.
There are also phenomenal amounts of internet resources indexed in the back of the book, including the following url's, intended to provide the reader with digital copies of Leonardo's codex pages for review.
http://www/anh.org/exhibitions/codex/
http://www.bl.uk/collections/treasures/digitisation.html#leo
Unfortunately, both of these addresses are no longer valid and as of the date of this blog post, new addresses have not been discovered. However, there are many .pdf and .jpg copies of codex pages available using simple internet browser image searches.
http://www/anh.org/exhibitions/codex/
http://www.bl.uk/collections/treasures/digitisation.html#leo
Unfortunately, both of these addresses are no longer valid and as of the date of this blog post, new addresses have not been discovered. However, there are many .pdf and .jpg copies of codex pages available using simple internet browser image searches.
Contents: Life in the Middle Ages; being born in Vinci, Italy; parents; being illegitimate; social stigmas; apprenticeship; art; friends; works; budding interest in science; young adulthood; change in political regime and climate; patronage; goals; scientific method; observation; persecution; court trials; living conditions; vegetarianism; codices; influences; later life; death; division of his works.
Content Evaluation: While the content is presented fluidly and in an engaging manner, the author makes many conjectures on the mental and emotion state of her character. While it may be easy to make these inferences, and they may even be accurate, the vernacular used is more geared toward the audience, for entertainment purposes, than information purposes. Also, no citations or sources are listed, though a bibliography is listed at the back of the book. Also, many of the links/resources that she provides for further research are out of date or unavailable. I notice this trend in many children's non-fiction books and believe that perhaps if an opinion is to be stated as fact, a footnote either with the distinction or the source should be included, so as not to come into question the accuracy of the information or the motivation of the author.
Content Evaluation: While the content is presented fluidly and in an engaging manner, the author makes many conjectures on the mental and emotion state of her character. While it may be easy to make these inferences, and they may even be accurate, the vernacular used is more geared toward the audience, for entertainment purposes, than information purposes. Also, no citations or sources are listed, though a bibliography is listed at the back of the book. Also, many of the links/resources that she provides for further research are out of date or unavailable. I notice this trend in many children's non-fiction books and believe that perhaps if an opinion is to be stated as fact, a footnote either with the distinction or the source should be included, so as not to come into question the accuracy of the information or the motivation of the author.
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