Leonardo's Horse [Hardcover]

Jean Fritz (Author), Hudson Talbott (Illustrator)

Book Description

Age Level: 6 and up | Grade Level: 1 and up

"A scintillating sliver of history. . . . An inventive introduction to the Renaissance and one of its masters." (Publishers Weekly, starred review)

"An unusual and surprisingly touching story . . . . An offbeat and intriguing read." (The Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books, starred review)

"At times sad, silly, and telling, this is a wholly entertaining book." (School Library Journal, starred review)

"Filled with engaging details of Leonardo and his world. . . . Illustrations which range from utterly recognizable scenes of Florence to the ghostly horses at Leonardo's deathbed. . . . An unusual biography for young people, and one well worth poring over . . . . A unique way of picturing a unique world . . . . An extraordinary tribute." (Kirkus Reviews, starred review)

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Fritz (And Then What Happened, Paul Revere?) again calls upon her informal yet informative style to spotlight a scintillating sliver of history, recounted in two related tales. Her narrative opens as the ultimate Renaissance man, Leonardo da Vinci, earns a commission from the duke of Milan to create a sculpture to honor the duke's father a bronze horse three times larger than life. Though this creative genius spent years on the project, he died without realizing his dream and, writes Fritz, "It was said that even on his deathbed, Leonardo wept for his horse." The author then fast-forwards to 1977: an American named Charles Dent vows to create the sculpture and make it a gift from the American people to the residents of Italy. How his goal was accomplished (alas, posthumously) makes for an intriguing tale that Fritz deftly relays. Talbott's (Forging Freedom) diverse multimedia artwork includes reproductions of da Vinci's notebooks, panoramas revealing the Renaissance in lavish detail and majestic renderings of the final equine sculpture. Talbott makes creative use of the book's format a rectangle topped by a semi-circle: the rounded space by turns becomes a window through which da Vinci views a cloud shaped like a flying horse; the domed building that was Dent's studio and gallery; and a globe depicting the route the bronze horse travels on its way from the U.S. to Italy. An inventive introduction to the Renaissance and one of its masters. Ages 5-up.

Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

From School Library Journal

Gr 3-6-At times sad, silly, and telling, this is a wholly entertaining book. Not only a biography of Leonardo da Vinci, it also introduces another artist/dreamer-Charlie Dent. Although separated by centuries, the two men had a common dream-to create a giant horse for Milan. War and rain helped to ruin Leonardo's original clay work, and he died mourning what might have been. By the 1990s, Dent's efforts to create the horse paid off and the statue, a huge wonder, was presented to Italy. Biographical details of Leonardo's life are mentioned and much of his work is shown throughout the volume, including sketches of the statue. Talbott's mixed-media artwork enhances the engaging text. The Duke of Milan is portrayed gaping at Leonardo's clay model, scarcely able to believe the greatness of it, and there is an informative page of pictures detailing the creation of the statue in eight steps. In one illustration, the artist appears in the center of his Last Supper, attempting to draw Judas, while humorous caricatures fill the bottom of the page. Although there are quite a few books about Leonardo, none delve so deeply into the history of the statue. Even the design of the book is unique. A title that is sure to create a lot of interest among young art, history, and horse lovers.

Anne Chapman Callaghan, Racine Public Library, WI

Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 6 and up
  
• Hardcover: 48 pages
• Publisher: Putnam Juvenile; First Edition edition (October 1, 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 8811580471
• ISBN-13: 978-8811580478
• ASIN: 0399235760
• Product Dimensions: 10.6 x 8.5 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.1 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (11 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #236,259 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

"The question I am most often asked," Jean Fritz says, "is how do I find my ideas? The answer is: I don't. Ideas find me. A character in history will suddenly step right out of the past and demand a book. Generally people don't bother to speak to me unless there's a good chance that I'll take them on." Throughout almost four decades of writing about history, Jean Fritz has taken on plenty of people, starting with George Washington in The Cabin Faced West (1958). Since then, her refreshingly informal historical biographies for children have been widely acclaimed as "unconventional," "good-humored," "witty," "irrepressible," and "extraordinary."In her role as biographer, Jean Fritz attempts to uncover the adventures and personalities behind each character she researches. "Once my character and I have reached an understanding," she explains, "then I begin the detective work--reading old books, old letters, old newspapers, and visiting the places where my subject lived. Often I turn up surprises and of course I pass these on." It is her penchant for making distant historical figures seem real that brings the characters to life and makes the biographies entertaining, informative, and filled with natural child appeal.An original and lively thinker, as well as an inspiration to children and adults, Jean Fritz is undeniably a master of her craft. She was awarded the Regina Medal by the Catholic Library Association, presented with the Laura Ingalls Wilder Award by the American Library Association for her "substantial and lasting contribution to children's literature," and honored with the Knickerbocker Award for Juvenile Literature, which was presented by the New York State Library Association for her body of work.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Moving and Evocative Story....., December 7, 2001

By 

Roz Levine - See all my reviews

This review is from: Leonardo's Horse (Hardcover)

Leonardo da Vinci had a dream. When he heard that the Duke of Milan was planning to honor his father with the statue of a bronze horse, he knew he had to be the artist for the job. "This would be his mark on history." Unfortunately, because of events often beyond his control, the sculpture was never completed, and it is said that Leonardo died in 1519, grieving for his horse. Hundreds of years later, in 1977, an artist and art lover, Charlie Dent, read a story about Leonardo's horse, and it became his dream too. He decided to complete the project, and give the horse to Italy as a gift from the American people. Charlie studied horses just as Leonardo had, and worked tirelessly on the project, but he too became ill, and died in 1994, before its completion. Friends of Charlie's wanted to see his dream fulfilled, and so they contacted a talented sculptor, Nina Akamu, to finish the project, and soon it became her dream too. On September 10, 1999, Leonardo's and Charlie's dream was finally unveiled in Milan. "At last Leonardo's horse was home."..... Jean Fritz has written a marvelously intriguing story, part history, part biography, and part art book, that captures the imagination and takes the reader on an amazing 500 year journey. Her tender, simple, and easy to read text was obviously a labor of love, and is full of imagery and magic. Ms Fritz's words are beautifully complemented by Hudson Talbott's spectacular, detailed artwork, that uses da Vinci's drawings and notebooks, along with his own expressive illustrations, combining pen and ink, colored pencil, watercolor, and collage. Together they've authored a dramatic masterpiece that's sure to peak the interest of history buffs and art lovers everywhere. Perfect for youngsters 8-12, Leonardo's Horse also makes a wonderful read-aloud story the entire family can share. Definitely one of the very best of 2001, this is a book that shouldn't be missed. Bravo Fritz and Talbott!

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A WONDERFUL STORY OF HOW A BRILLIANT MIND IMPACTS OTHERS, July 9, 2002

By 

"metz626" - See all my reviews

This review is from: Leonardo's Horse (Hardcover)

When my 10 year old found this at the library, I also had an interest and we read it together. What a wonderful story of how the dream of a famous artist on the other side of the world impacted artists here in the U.S. It is a story that everyone should know.
Yes, I had to provide details of Leonardo's accomplishments that the book did not focus on. Yet,I did not mind doing this. It helped my daughter to understand why his brilliant mind set him up so he was not able to accomplish all of his dreams.
The story and illustrations were captivating. This is a book I will be recommending to many people.
A wonderful gift book!

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Leonardo's Horse trots to top ranking in my book!, December 13, 2004

By 

Emily Hawkins "moreta2" (Indianapolis, Indiana, US) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Leonardo's Horse (Hardcover)

If you like learning about Renaissance artists, then Leonardo's Horse is for you. Leonardo is shown as a person interested in many different areas of intelligence. This book focuses most on his painting and sculpture. A duke wanted him to make this gigantic bronze sculpture of a horse. Leonardo studied and studied, and he finally made a clay model of what the bronze horse would look like. He never got around to finishing it because the duke took all of his bronze for war supplies, and Leonardo was working on his famous painting, The Last Supper. As the French invaded Milan, they destroyed the clay horse. Even to his deathbed, Leonardo regretted never being able to finish the horse. The rest of this story relates the two artists that sought to honor Leonardo's legacy by completing the horse and presenting it as a gift of American friendship to Milan. Those artists were Charles Dent and Nina Akamu.

A couple interesting features of the book are its shape and illustrations. The book has a half circle on top of the normal square shape. The illustrator makes good use of the irregularly shaped pages by making the top of the page the inside of a dome, an arched doorway, and more. There's a step-by-step chart to show how a sculpture is casted from clay to plaster to bronze. Overall, Jean Fritz and Hudson Talbott (author/artist) complement each other perfectly in this work.