Neo Leo: The Ageless Ideas Of Leonardo Da Vinci (2009) - Plot & Excerpts
At my local library, this picture book is located in the 600's. I would recommend it for students ages 8-12. The book focuses on the ideas found in Leonardo's original notes. On the lefthand page, in full color, readers will find each invention as it first appeared in the modern world (Neo). On the right-hand page, in brown tones, Leonardo's version is shown with backwards script. (Leo always wrote backwards, perhaps because he was left-handed and this prevented the ink from being smeared. Readers will be amazed by the vast number of invention ideas, including: ornithopter, glider, contact lenses, single-span bridge, tanks, double hulls for boats, a heart model and much more. Leonardo da Vinci was brilliant and ingenious and it's hard to imagine that about 2/3 of his notes have been lost...so he may have had a million other ideas that we may never know about. I find him to be one of the most fascinating people in history. This was a great introduction into his ideas and how they have shaped today's inventions. I liked how Barretta showed both Da Vinci's ideas and then gave credit to the modern person who created them and made them work successfully. I learned a couple of things from this book and my kids were very impressed by it as well.
What do You think about Neo Leo: The Ageless Ideas Of Leonardo Da Vinci (2009)?
Students enjoyed this book. Nice look at inventions and evolution of objects.
—Cindy
