Neo Leo: The Ageless Ideas of Leonardo da Vinci - Softcover

Barretta, Gene

Softcover

ISBN 10: 1250079608 ISBN 13: 9781250079602

Publisher: Square Fish, 2016

Synopsis

An introduction to Leonardo da Vinci's genius focusing on his famous notebook sketches and the modern inventions they predicted.

In 1781, Thomas Paine came up with a model for a single-span bridge; in 1887, Adolf Eugen Fick made the first pair of contact lenses; and in 1907, Paul Cornu built the first helicopter. But Leonardo da Vinci thought of all these ideas more than five hundred years ago!

At once an artist, inventor, engineer, and scientist, da Vinci wrote and drew detailed descriptions of what would later become hang gliders, automobiles, robots, and much more. In Neo Geo, Gene Barretta cleverly shows how Leonardo's ideas―many inspired by his love of nature―foreshadowed modern inventions, offering a window into the future.

About this title

About the Author

Gene Barretta is the author and illustrator of Now & Ben: The Modern Inventions of Benjamin Franklin, and Dear Deer, which was a Notable Children's Book in the Language Arts and listed on the Parenting Magazine Mom-Tested Books of the Year List. He holds a B.F.A. in Film Studies from New York University, and has worked for many years in film and television production. He lives in Wynnewood, Pennsylvania, with his wife and son.

From School Library Journal

Grade 2–5—Similar in format and style to Now & Ben (Holt, 2006), this book focuses on sketches found in Leonardo's writings that reveal an understanding of inventions that would not come into being until hundreds of years after the death of this quintessential Renaissance man. Vivid watercolor illustrations depict more than a dozen, including the hang glider, contact lenses, the tank, and robots. Each facing page appears as a sheet of notes revealing Leonardo's version, which is usually quite similar to the one we know today. Each page of Leonardo's notes contains a few short lines printed in reverse, and an author's note explains how a mirror can be used to view this writing style used by the inventor himself. Barretta provides clear information without veering into scientific explanations. Readers who most closely associate Leonardo with the Mona Lisa will be inspired by the breadth of his interests and the genius of his observations. This accessible introduction will inspire children to look closely at the world around them and come up with some creations of their own.—Lisa Glasscock, Columbine Public Library, Littleton, CO
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About this edition

• Publisher: Square Fish
• Publication date: 2016
• ISBN 10: 1250079608
• ISBN 13: 9781250079602
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 40
• Illustrator: Barretta Gene