Leonardo Da Vinci by Kathleen Krull

Bibliography:
Krull, K. 2005. LEONARDO DA VINCI. Ill. by Boris Kulikov. New York, NY: Penguin Group. ISBN: 067005920X.

Plot Summary:
The Middle Ages were a time of superstition, false sciences, and limited information that ended with the beginning of the Italian Renaissance which was when Leonardo da Vinci was born. Kathleen Krull’s book provides an overview of da Vinci’s life and the events that led him towards his scientific study. From his illegitimate birth to his apprenticeship with Verrocchio to the varying patronships he obtained in Italy, Krull shows his vulnerabilities and his strengths making da Vinci accessible to the reader. The text also provides insight into life during the middle ages, how life changed with the coming of the Renaissance, and the impact that da Vinci had upon his time and after. The book concludes with a listing of the notebooks Da Vinci wrote, a bibliography, and an index.

Critical Analysis:
LEONARDO DA VINCI is organized in chronological order that follows his life from birth to death. The chapters are concise summations of different time periods in his life, and the author provides a bibliography but no source notes. Despite this, LEONARDO DA VINCI gives a glimpse into what life was like during the Middle Ages, how it changed during the Renaissance, and how that affected da Vinci. Krull’s focus is his scientific exploration and how that affected future scientists. It is an absorbing read that achieves success in its portrayal of da Vinci as a vulnerable human who was able to achieve great things through adversity and failure.

Krull does mention the impact art had on his career, but only as an introduction to his study of the natural world through observation. Though the text has illustrations the book would have benefited from examples of da Vinci’s technical drawings of planes, anatomy, and animals. The illustrations that are included are black-and-white pen and ink drawings that are mixed within the text depicting scenes and events from da Vinci’s life. Boris Kulikov channels the feel of da Vinci’s time with densely packed line drawings that provide visual details to his life. One image shows Leonardo drawing birds that he released from their cages so that he could study their flight pattern. The image conveys the joy he felt studying the natural world around him.

This biography provides readers with an understanding of the personal issues da Vinci faced during an enlightening period in history and how his studies have impacted our world.

Review Excerpts:
SCHOOL LIBRARY JOURNAL: “With a totally captivating opening and a conversational writing style, Krull offers a vivid description of life in the Middle Ages. Most importantly, she shows the workings of a scientific mind and the close connection between science and art. Kulikov's stylish and exacting line drawings are engaging and incorporate many of the items and interests found in Leonardo's notebooks. Readers will come away from this accessible volume with an understanding of who Leonardo was and a desire to know more about this fascinating, brilliant man”

BOOKLIST: “A very readable, vivid portrait set against the backdrop of remarkable times.”

PUBLISHERS WEEKLY: “Krull convincingly portrays her subject, noting the Renaissance man's remarkably far-reaching accomplishments while also conveying his humanity and sense of humor. With an inviting, conversational narrative and Kulikov's occasional atmospheric pen-and-inks, this series launches with an impressive start.”

Connections:
-View Da Vinci’s Notebook pages online at: Codex Arundel at the British Library: http://www.bl.uk/collections/treasures/digitisation.html#leo; Codex Atlanticus and other notebooks at the Institute and Museum of the History of Science, Florence, Italy: http://brunelleschi.imss.fi.it/ingrin; and Codex Leicester at the American Museum of Natural History, New York: http://www.amnh.org/exhibitions/codex/
-After looking at Da Vinci’s Notebooks, have a discussion about his ideas and creations. Draw connections from his ideas to technology used today. Have students think about their own creations. Allow them to sketch out plans for their creation.
-Discuss other scientists mentioned in the book such as Newton, Galileo, Copernicus, and the Wright Brothers.
-Continue exploring the Italian Renaissance through its literary, religious, and artistic accomplishments