Leonardo Da Vinci

Giants of Science

by Kathleen Krull, Boris Kulikov (Illustrator)

Explores the scientific studies, experiments, and observations of this world-renowned artist and scientist of the fifteenth century through a review of the writings, notes, and sketches left behind in his vast collection of notebooks.

Genres: Biography, Science, Nonfiction, History, Art, Renaissance, Childrens

124 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2005

Reviews

[Jay Pruitt · Rating 4 out of 5]

"a beautiful body perishes, but a work of art dies not"
---Leonardo da Vinci

An excellent short summary (about 100 pages) of Leonardo. Covers both artistic and scientific contributions. Da Vinci is known today primarily for the rather small number of his art pieces which have been found, including the Mona Lisa and Last Supper. But it is not widely known that his real contribution is in the art of "learning" itself. He kept hidden thousands of pages of notes taken during his lifetime, some of which could have been viewed as heretical at the time, outlining theories, ideas, and observations that were conceptually well ahead of their time. Unfortunately these notebooks were not discovered until centuries after his death. His breadth of knowledge, particularly his understanding of the anatomy, is simply breathtaking. Truly the Renaissance Man.

[Annette · Rating 5 out of 5]

The biography series Giants of Science for middle grade fascinates with the story of Leonardo da Vinci who was an Italian polymath during the High Renaissance.

Leonardo da Vinci (1734-1818) was born in Vinci, in Tuscany, Italy. He was an illegitimate child, raised by grandparents. His uncle Francesco farmed family’s land. He liked experimenting with different crops. Leonardo spent hours helping his uncle, and that probably influences his curious mind.

Leonardo from childhood was very observant, observing everything around him, making notes and drawings. He always carried a pen and paper with him so no thought would escape him. He supposedly developed this habit already during his childhood.

He received minimal schooling and because of his illegitimacy, he wasn’t allowed to attend university. He pretty much had two options: either to join the army or to take up a trade.

His father used his connections to get him apprenticed as a studio boy to Andrea del Verrocchio, the leading Florentine painter and sculptor of his day. Leonardo was twelve or thirteen at the time. He started with sweeping the floors, running errands, and cleaning paintbrushes. Meanwhile, he continued to practice his drawing.

It was a time when paintings were being developed from appearing flat to giving the illusion of depth. Like Leonardo’s uncle, Verrocchio also liked experimenting and innovating. He encouraged his shop to break new ground in the arts.

Leonardo was a quick learner and his talent was noticed. Verrocchio was delegating more work to him.

Leonardo spent time at hospitals, furthering his study of anatomy.

Leonardo was a man of many talents, but he wasn’t good at finishing tasks. He quitted many commissions. He left behind many sketches and plans and less finished work.

He was always busy. If not creating, then reading and educating himself.

Leonardo became obsessed with flying. Thus, he studied the motion of bird’s wings.

He was fascinated with Greek philosophers, but he never followed blindly. He always questioned and made his own observations.

He also was solving practical problems, one of them was designing warfare weapons as the city – states of Italy were at war much of the time.

Above all, Leonardo wanted to be original. He was much more interested in inventing and designing. And for that he needed a patron.

This biography demonstrates a man who didn’t have a formal education and yet became a polymath thanks to his curiosity. What exemplifies him is his curious mind which led him to asking many questions about everything, including how things worked and what people imposed with their believes. He was open-minded and never relied on long-standing theories.

This biography for young readers, ages 8-12, is presented in a relatable way, for most part with simple sentences.

[Kris · Rating 3 out of 5]

A decent depiction about Leonardo Da Vinci's life and some history of the time period, however there is a brief and straight forward discussion of homophobia in the Middle Ages and use of words such as "procreation" and "homosexual sex." If you are not comfortable with your young child reading those words and understanding meaning, I would wait until they are mature enough to handle the subject matter. I personally skipped over this reading for my 8 year old. I did start to read it and in actuality he paid more particular attention to Leonardo's achievements in art. He has an extreme interest in art and artists. That said, in general, I think this is a book that is best read with parents for younger children since those words could be confusing for many children and quite possibly not appropriately ready. The language would be more suited for mature independent reading for teens. Due to the fact the book claims to be for ages 8+, I cannot see giving this 5 stars. Not something I expected for Scholastic. I'd be more inclined to a 12+

[Joan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Excellent biography of Leonardo, unless you are mostly interested in his artistic work. The focus was definitely on his scientific work, not, of course, that it was called such in his time. Perhaps the most interesting parts were information about his notebooks, starting with the fact they weren't notebooks as we would think of them. They were collections of notes, bound in all sorts of ways, or even loose. Unfortunately, after his death, the person who ended up with them had no concept of their value and just let them disappear, a sheet to one person here, another there. Krull provides a list of who has what now. Bill Gates has a volume, the only one in private hands. The rest are in a huge variety of museums, based on how they were originally distributed. Krull also discusses how much influence Da Vinci had on scientific development and acknowledged that he really had very little since he never published his discoveries. He was centuries ahead of scientific discovery in many cases, but never got credit since he hadn't published the information. Apparently even Da Vinci himself realized that was a real problem for him, that he wasn't publishing his information. It was one of his main faults, along with his perennial habit of leaving art commissions unfinished. BTW he and Michelangelo did not get along at all. Da Vinci didn't fit into his society, being left handed, Vegetarian, likely homosexual, and a completely independent thinker. At times this likely put him in real danger from the powers that be, the Church. This likely accounted for at least some of his paranoia in using mirror writing in his notes and never publishing his discoveries.
This is a well done biography of someone with quite limited information. Some of that was due to his mirror writing in addition to occasionally using code, some is due to how long ago he lived. Some of the fascinating facts are based on the Notebooks. For example, he observed the movements of water so well that it took the development of high speed photography to replicate his observations! Highly recommended. The loss of a star is due to the unavoidable lack of information on him rather than any defect in the presentation.

[Cpapas7 · Rating 3 out of 5]

Leonardo Da Vinci wants to learn everything he can and preserve all of his studies and discoveries. One thing that is stopping him from doing that though is that he doesn't have the money and the resources to be able to do it as well. A solution to his problem is to work for any of the wealthy Monarchs or Popes to get paid a nice sum. This way Leonardo continues his journey and his studies whilst being able to do it easily and comfortably.

[Addie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Audiobook with the kids, very interesting!

[David · Rating 5 out of 5]

Part of the series Giants of Science, Leonardo Da Vinci by Kathleen Krull presents the life and history of Leonardo who in the later years of his life was focused on unlocking the secrets of nature. He kept meticulous notebooks on his studies and experiments providing us a look inside the mind of this brilliant scientist. The author has done her research and presents a fact-filled and well-written biography. Leonardo is noted for his discipline and basing his findings on his observations and results of experiments he conducted. Although he was a very talented artist, he preferred to be recognized for his scientific works that he detailed in his notebooks. Calling them notebooks is a bit of a misnomer as they were more a collection of papers of various sizes that had been bound in various covers. None of these were actually published during his lifetime and he also had a habit of taking on commissioned work and often leaving them unfinished. According to the author, he didn't get along with other artists including Michelangelo, was left-handed that was frowned upon, a vegetarian, a free thinker, and likely homosexual. Great read to gain a basic knowledge of Leonardo Da Vinci.

[Shelli · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a fantastically informative read about the original Renaissance Man , Leonardo da Vinci; prefect for any middle/high school library or classroom. Kathleen Krull focused on Leonardo's devotion to science instead of what he is mostly known for, being an artist. I loved this particular bit about him in the last chapters "True, he was like a surfer on a huge wave-the spirit of intellectual tolerance fostered by the Renaissance, the empowering access to information supplied by the new printing presses. Yet he always remained out of step: a left-handed, illegitimate, homosexual, antiwar vegetarian with extraordinary artistic talent. His outside status took him on paths others couldn't even see. "

[Katherine Elizabeth · Rating 4 out of 5]

My boys really enjoyed this book and I found it to be well-written and engaging for a younger audience. However, some information included was definitely not appropriate for little ears (an entire chapter dedicated to DaVinci being accused of engaging in “homosexual sex”). While it wasn’t too difficult to leave this information out of our read aloud time, it wasn’t something I expected to stumble upon in a book found in the children’a section of the library. Had I only been reading to my teenager, I wouldn’t have had an issue with it, but it was a bit much for a 5 and 8 year old.

[Earla · Rating 5 out of 5]

I enjoyed learning more about Leonardo's notebooks:
'In the margins, he bedded the reader to make sure his work got printed in book form - maybe, he hoped after his death. So he wanted to be discovered and read.'
"I tell you... I teach you."

'To Leonardo, the key to everything was saper vedere - "knowing how to see." That's how my art teacher Roisin shares her techniques with us.

This book led me to the British Museum's online catalogue.

[1030499]

This was a great book because of all the detail. It gave lots of facts about his older life. There were also some facts about his chile hood which are hard to find. You get to learn about every part of his life. This is a great book tells you lots about Leonardo.

[Firetruckmama · Rating 4 out of 5]

For younger readers (middle school maybe) who want a bit more detailed information on da Vinci. I'd rate it between a three and four star review because while there wasn't much new for me, the author tried to insert da Vinci information that may not be covered in other books about him.

[Ellen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fascinating! I'll get more of her books.

[Tracy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Nice overview of his work in the sciences and doesn't shy away from his controversial lifestyle. He was probably gay and was most definitely a vegetarian in a time when that was unheard of.

[Margaret · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great book with lots of fun facts about Leonardo and the Renaissance time period.

[Parth]

This is a great book because of all the facts. It gives lots of info. Kathleen tells you about his childhood. We also find out about his later life. She is very reliable.

[Barbara Lovejoy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fascinating book! I learned many new things. Once again I enjoyed the Boris Kulikov illustrations.

[Elisa M · Rating 4 out of 5]

Well written and interesting. As others have said, some references to sex, including men “having sex with a male prostitute” makes the book unsuitable (IMO) for younger readers.

[Li Par · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is about leonardo da vinci life about how he pushed himself to be a famous person n also how he help develop science the we now use today.

[Sasha · Rating 4 out of 5]

itle: Giants of Science: Leonardo Da Vinci

Author: Kathleen Krull (has won numerous awards and her books have been listed as New York Times Bestseller)
Illustrator: Boris Kulikov

Date of Publication:2005

Genre: Non-Fiction/informational- Biography

Summary: Most people know Leonardo da Vinci as a fame artist of the Mona Lisa but he is less known for his scientific explorations. The book discussed da Vinci's origin and background, the major influences on his research, his work habit, character, relationships and his life long obsession with observing the world around him.

Evaluative Commentary: This text is best appropriate for older grades, as there are mature topics in this book. The book is very well written and is extremely informative. The black and white illustrations resemble the engraved images of the time and the art work of Leonordo da Vinci and his contemporaries. It can be a great book for a unit on Renniasance... as Leonardo da Vinci is a true Rennaisance man!
Disussion Questions”
Leonardo De Vinci was interested in many disciplines (botany, astronomy,algebra etc.) Which discipline is most interesting to you and why?
What is something new that you learned about De Vinchi? Did the discovery surprise you?
How do you think the discrimination Leonardo faced as a child/young man impacted his career?
Why was Leonardo not good at finishing projects? (support with evidence from text)
If you met Leonardo do you think you would want to be his friend? Why or why not?
Which men of science/philosophy and art had a major impact on Leonardo?
Do you think Leonardo was a scientific pioneer (why)?
Leonardo was very interested/obsessed about flight? Have you ever been very curious/obsessed about a subject?
How were women viewed during Leonardo's time?
What are some central ideas of the Rennaisance?
What is the scientific model and why was it important to Leonardo's research?
Can you list the hardships of medieval Europe?
What did you learn about the Black Death?
What were Leonardo's suspicions in regards to the cause of the plague?

Comprehension Strategy: In the introduction chapters there is mention of homosexuality, prostitution, illegitimate birth.... if the teacher is not prepared to approach such controversial topics with elementary students, it might be best to focus on later chapters (5- onwards) that concentrate more on Leonardo da Vinci's interests, inventions and work habits.
Vocab study: Vacuum, astronomy, anatomy, zoology, botany, paleontology, philosophy, alchemy.


Extension activity: Look up DeVinchi's journals and pick out your favorite invention. Based on your reading of this book, make a journal entry as Leonardo outlining the activities and perhaps some observations from his day.
Make a comparison between the old beliefs in medicine to current medical knowledge. (can use graphic organizer, would need outside research, books or internet)
Make a statement that would correspond to Aristotle's model of logic (can be a great partners activity).
Leonardo was obsessed with flight... research the Greek Myth on Icarus that have inspired some of his flying machine designs.

Electronic resource: author's web link:www.kathleenkrull.com, artists's web link : www.boriskulikov.com
http://academickids.com/encyclopedia/... additional information about Leonardo da Vinci.

[Jenny · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a great young adult book that is also a fun read for adults. Most people know about and associate Leonardo Da Vinci with art and invention, but I bet few people know much about his scientific investigations with water, optics and human physiology. Leonardo was an amazing person with an enthusiastic curiosity about the natural world.

Krull's biography acknowledges and honors Leonardo's scientific thinking and self-directed approach to learning before the terms "scientist" or "scientific method" as we know them existed. Those who were fascinated by the natural world, made and recorded observations, endeavored to experiment and communicate their findings were then known as natural philosophers. Leonardo certainly fit this description. As a child he worked on his uncle's farm, he collected and studied plants, insects and seeds. As an apprentice artisan, he dissected animals and human corpses not only to improve his drawing techniques, but to better understand the functions of various organs and systems. His motivation in life was not art, but learning, and he devoted his career to securing patrons who allowed him to continue his independent studies and experiments, which he meticulously recorded in his famous notebooks.

The biography follows a chronological narrative frame that is delivered in an engaging and intelligent storyteller's voice. Contextual details about the Renaissance help to inform the reader about Leonardo's world--status and position of the middle class; society's views on homosexuality; political power struggles of Italian city-states, etc. These details unfold seamlessly and succinctly in the narrative and never derail into tedious, tangential commentaries, which I find that many of the academic biographies written for adults tend to do. If you want a fun, fast and smart read about one of the most famous people in Western Civilization, I highly recommend Kathleen Krull's Leonardo Da Vinci: Giants of Science #1. Appropriate for reader's age 12 and up.

[Julia · Rating 3 out of 5]

I thought that this book was great because it had a lot of exciting stuff.

When I first read this book I thought about all the stuff I knew about Leonardo Da Vinci like how he made Mona Lisa. Then after that I thought about all the stuff I've read, what kind of new stuff I have learned, and what was new. For example, I learned that he was also interested in science before art. But, my other thinking was which one he liked the best because in this book he learned both.

Also I wondered what kind of science he learned. Then later, I found out that he was interested in body parts, anything that includes water, and a little bit of nature. There was one thing that confused me was if he loved body parts, and water, he should have been a doctor, and a scientist instead of a scientist, and a artist. Then I got my answer because he was making better medicines by looking at the ingredients of his own drawing, and then making them.

I disovered that medication that was unusual when Leornardo was alive. For example, in some cities in Europe, the streets were made as toilets and piles of excrement were left to mold until the next rain! If you were to stop a nose bleed doctors used pig manure! Also ten green lizards, cooked slowly in olive oil were believed to heal an open wound! One medicine was made from earthworms washed in wine and donkey urine; another called for a horn of a unicorn. A painfull swelling joint of the joints, was treated by placing a sapphire ring on a certain finger of a patient. Then Blood-sucking leeches, applied when the planets were in alignments,could fix many ailments.

It's a great book for mostly kids who love non-fiction. So if you do you should read this book.

[Julie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Part of the Giants of Science series, I was interested to learn about Da Vinci since I knew him as an artist. The book is filed in the children's section but covers some sketchy area of his being an illegitimate child, accused for homosexuality, and a few terms that go along with it. It kind of sets the stage for how despite being so talented and smart he never seemed confident of himself enough to publish the works of his science only the works of skills (paintings of which there were only 13). I thought this part was self-descriptive, "He believed that children who were born out of love and desire would become intelligent and beautiful, while unworthy children would result from relationships of reluctance or scorn."

The book focuses a lot on how he studied and experimented and essentially used the scientific method for gaining knowledge and his art skills in illustrating it. As with others of the time, he was questioning information, and performing experiments. In his found works he discovered many of the ideas that are attributed to various people after he had learned them (but he had never shared and published them). Some of the same time, people, and ideas that I read about in The Knife Man, and what can I say, I love to study, I love science!

[Celia · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was rather disappointed in this book. Da Vinci was such a fascinating man, painter and inventor, that I feel a book for young people must at least include illustrations of his many sketches. This book does not do that, and it's a shame. There are so many excellent biographies for middle school and high school readers today, which captivate our interests. I fear that when a middle school student takes this book off the shelf, and sees virtually no illustrations, maps or portraits, they will not give this book a chance. I know that this book is part of the Giants of Science series, and the author does not elaborate on the artistic side of Da Vinci, but there could still be illustrations of his inventions. There is some very good information, and I do hope that some young people will at least try to read this.

[Michelle · Rating 3 out of 5]

Very good book on the man and scientist Leonardo da Vinci.

My 10 year-old read this book to me. There were some words that he struggled with, but for the most part this was a good read for him. We enjoyed learning more about Leonardo da Vinci's life, his many varied interests, and his extremely disorganized, and somewhat paranoid, way of recording his thoughts.

The bibliography at the end of the book contains some books and websites through which we can expand our learning on da Vinci.

I'd recommend this book to anyone, adult or youth, who enjoys scientific exploration and invention in addition to art.

[Jonathan · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read this book in highschool when I studied Leonardo da Vinci. It was so fun to read, and full of so many interesting facts; I couldn't get enough of it. Who would of thought that a person could have done so much with one lifetime. Leo was very carefully self-educated. He studied and closely examined everything that facinated him. da Vinci kept his detailed drawings, and left handed descriptions on unbound, large sheets of paper. He drew the first accurately drawn pictures of the innerworkings of the human body. He studied optics, zoology, hyrolics, anatomy, paleontology, botany, and many other subjects new to his era.

[Allegra S · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow, Kathleen Krull is a great non-fiction writer. Based on this book I would read anything else that she wrote.

This was an excellent overview of Leonardo's life, his achievements, and why the topics and his ideas were so taboo at the time. It was a quick read, but had the perfect amount of information to be useful. I appreciate that it was age-appropriate for younger readers without leaving out the darker details of his life. I particularly like the descriptions about his personal life and the fact that he didn't seem to like the company of other people or sharing his ideas with the world.

Well-researched and could be enjoyed by kids and adults alike.

[Allison · Rating 4 out of 5]

I learned so much about da Vinci! This book was interesting (was it ever!), full of fantastic quotes from the scientist, and has lots of ideas at the end for finding out more about da Vinci, some of which I've already looked into. How could I resist going to the website of the British Library! I look forward to reading more in the Giants of Science series. Next one I will read is about Newton.ahhh.physics. Maybe I'll be able to have a conversation with my physicist nephew afterwards? We'll see!

[Kathy Martin · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fascinating descriptions of a fascinating man--the original Renaissance Man--Leonardo da Vinci. I think the descriptions paint a picture that middle schoolers can understand and learn from. The breadth of da Vinci's curiosity was amazing. From art to anatomy to hydraulics to optics to paleontology, it seems there was nothing that didn't interest him. The story of his notebooks and the way he wrote them and what happened to them is a wonderful mystery.

[Destiny · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is an easy read full of information and description both on the middle-ages and on Leonardo da Vinci's role as a scientist. While the book is geared toward middle school children, younger children could understand and follow along. She does mention his arrest for being accused of homosexual behavior, so if reading to young children you will either need to be prepared to explain or skip chapter 4; however, I feel the topic was handled appropriately for an older child.