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63 of 68 people found the following review helpful:
2.0 out of 5 stars
Not for children! High school on up imo, and conservative families would choose another book, September 6, 2005
This review is from: Leonardo Da Vinci: Giants of Science #1 (Giants of Science (Viking)) (Hardcover)
One of the things I spend oodles of money and time on is previewing books for my kids. I so value books that can tell a story in something more than an informational tone. I thought this would be a promising book for my "middle" kids - out of picture books, but not ready for high school / adult material.
The write up above states ". . this book will change children's ideas of who Leonardo was and what it means to be a scientist." The cover has an attractive illustration, and I went for it.
I scanned the first 3 chapters, and they were well written for the upper elementary/middle school age group. Vocabulary was understandable, spacing of the type and size of print not intimidating. Then I got to Chapter 4, "Nothing But Full Privies" The whole chapter is about homosexual activity. "This was the office that summoned Leonardo in 1476. Someone had anonymously accused four men - Leonardo, a goldsmith, a tailor, and someone related to Lorenzo de Medici - of having sex with a male prostitute." There is further text on his story, what Florence laws and views were on homosexuality, and then, "Historians disagree about Leonardo's sex life, or whether he even had one. But most think he was probably homosexual. . . . Various writings show he shared the common male attitude of his time: women were less intelligent than men and full of "useless chatter." He described the act of procreation as 'repulsive.' Homosexuality was illegal . . . The authorities in Florence generally fostered a don't-ask-don't-tell policy. In fact, homosexuality there was so widespread that the German word for homosexual was Florence. But being discreet was crucial . . "
Okay, I already knew this, but . . . do my children have to get into THIS level of detail of Leonardo's history to understand why he was a Giant of Science?? I do read classical works to my kids without censorship, and there are references they may or may not understand. But they are not highlighted and focused on gratuitously. I have forgiven a passing, non-highlighted reference in some books that my kids don't even seem to notice. The Parrot's Theorem is an example of a book with a few adult references, but they are not so pronounced as to color the whole book for moderate families. I felt this book's chapter on homosexuality was WAY more than necessary and ruined this book for the purpose I purchased it. For a high schooler or adult, it may be appropriate, but do not hand it to your child unless you are ready to explain adult sexual issues in detail.
I DID find a WONDERFUL da Vinci book for the middle set that has no such references, and it is truly wonderful: Leonardo da Vinci: Genius Of Art And Science by Jennifer Reed.
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14 of 16 people found the following review helpful:
2.0 out of 5 stars
Disappointing..., September 15, 2005
This review is from: Leonardo Da Vinci: Giants of Science #1 (Giants of Science (Viking)) (Hardcover)
I am a big fan of Kathleen Krull. She has written so many wonderful books, but LEONARDO DA VINCI is a book that I do not feel comfortable recommending or sharing.
In addition to focusing on some issues which might be controversial to introduce to a younger audience, the book lacks end notes or source notes to validate the material in the book. Although Krull is always using quotes, she never tells specifically where she is getting her information. A long bibliography is essentially useless for doublechecking facts since I have no intention of reading twenty books (two specifically speculating on Leonardo's sex life) to find out where she learned that Leonardo hated having dirty fingernails, for example.
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7 of 8 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Leonardo da Vinci, December 14, 2006
A Kid's Review
This review is from: Leonardo Da Vinci: Giants of Science #1 (Giants of Science (Viking)) (Hardcover)
Doing everything from dissecting humans to painting beautiful paintings, Leonardo da Vinci really was a man of wonder. Leonardo da Vinci was born in 1452 in Tuscany, Italy. Throughout his life he had wondered about everything. He always kept everything he saw and observed in notebooks. He worked in art during his childhood and then mostly researched for the rest of his life. He did everything to gain knowledge including dissecting humans, looking at bugs, and staring at water for hours. After a long life, Leonardo da Vinci died in1519 at the age of sixty-seven. I liked this book because it contained many interesting facts, it included artwork, and it told of the many characters in Leonardo's life.
One reason I liked this book is that it contained many interesting facts. For example, Leonardo used to stare at water for hours until he came up with the theory that everything travels in waves. Another example, is that he dissected forty different human corpses in order to find out more about the body. Lastly, he wrote down everything he discovered in notebooks. At his death there were more than 10,000 pages. Half were lost throughout history.
Another reason I like this book is because it included vast artwork. For example, when the book said that he built a model of the solar system it included an interesting picture. Another example is that when it said that Leonardo used to buy birds just to let them go and study their flight, it included a picture. Lastly, when it said that he dissected bodies it included a picture of him leaning over a body.
One other reason that I liked this book is because it told of many characters in Leonardo's life. For example, the book described the characteristics of his mother and father. Another example is that the people he worked with were described. Lastly, all of his friends were described.
The last and most important reason that I like this book is that it covers Leonardo's life very well. This book has his birth date, his death date, the dates of most of his achievements, his friends, his parents, and his many interesting facts. I liked this book because it contained many neat facts, it included artwork, it told of the many characters in his life, and this book sums up Leonardo da Vinci's life up very well.
C. Copeland
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