Mona Lisa: The Secret Smile [Hardcover]

Letizia Galli (Author)

Book Description

Age Level: 6 and up

Introducing young readers to the life and work of Leonardo da Vinci, a lavishly illustrated portrait describes the artist's use of riddles in his famous works including the Mona Lisa's mysterious smile. By the author of Michael the Angel.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Galli's pictorially imaginative biography of da Vinci, while visually appealing, produces a somewhat distant Leonardo, especially when compared to the vibrant young Michelangelo of Laura Fischetto's Michael the Angel, which Galli illustrated. Highly theatrical, her stylized, disjointed figures and skewed, multi-perspective architectural settings invoke a kind of controlled anarchy; outsized heads popping out of roofless buildings and freefloating geometric shapes add a touch of surrealism, while a subtle marbling of the colors keeps the ambience firmly antique. The artist himself appears as the calm center of this kaleidoscopic world, following his intellectual and artistic interests with supreme confidence and focus, and leaving unfinished projects behind without regret. Recurring visual elements-Mona Lisa's face glimpsed in the crowd, disembodied horse's heads-provide a continuity missing from the text, which oscillates between fleshed-out narrative and poetic musing. Details of the artist's life are included in an afterword, but, despite the subtitle, the mystery of the Mona Lisa's smile remains unsolved. Ages 5-8.
Copyright 1996 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From School Library Journal

Grade 1-3?In this picture-book biography, Leonardo da Vinci inhabits a world of post-modern perspectives and surreal, childlike people. The master himself is realistically portrayed as he goes about inventing, painting, and writing. Surrounded by shapes, forms, and faces representing the cities he visited and the people whose commissions he undertook, the artist rushes from project to project. The pastel colors and chalklike textures of the illustrations convey an abstract but eye-catching atmosphere of energy and creativity, attempting to express the excitement and vigor of the Renaissance and its most famous figure. To some extent, the book succeeds in capturing young readers' interest and introducing them to the great artist. However, the title is misleading, for Leonardo does not paint the Mona Lisa until the penultimate page, and even then there is no secret revealed about the famous smile, beyond the fact that he says " 'I'm going to paint exactly what I see.' " After the pastel hues of Galli's art, the reproduction of the actual painting on the last page shatters the illusion of a magical world inhabited by a master magician and interjects the real world of art history. Galli offers a unique approach to Renaissance art, but fails to challenge the clever paper engineering and artful re-creations of Leonardo's works in Alice and Martin Provensen's Leonardo da Vinci (Viking, 1984).?Shirley Wilton, Ocean County College, Toms River, NJ
Copyright 1996 Reed Business Information, Inc.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 6 and up
  
• Hardcover
• Publisher: Doubleday Books for Young Readers; First edition. edition (February 1, 1996)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0385321082
• ISBN-13: 978-0385321082
• Product Dimensions: 10.7 x 7.9 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 13.6 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,849,819 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A Complex Character for Children to Relate With, August 20, 2000

By 

Paul Martin (Waukesha, WI USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Mona Lisa: The Secret Smile (Hardcover)

Follow the life of Leonardo da Vinci from the time of his youth into adulthood. The illustrations are good, but the story gets a little long for little ones as it goes into, sometimes excessive detail. It also can overwhelm children with complex new subjects/words like vegetarian, mobile scaffolding, riddles, etc., which break the flow of the story as a parent will have to stop and explain.

But the story is interesting, probably better suited for 6 to 10 year-olds. I'm sure that Leonardo da Vinci isn't the easiest topic to write about, especially for an audience of children, so the author earns extra points there.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A Complex Character for Children to Relate With, August 29, 2000

By 

Paul Martin (Waukesha, WI USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Mona Lisa: The Secret Smile (Hardcover)

Follow the life of Leonardo da Vinci from the time of his youth into adulthood. The illustrations are good, but the story gets a little long for little ones as it goes into, sometimes excessive detail. It also can overwhelm children with complex new subjects/words like vegetarian, mobile scaffolding, riddles, etc., which break the flow of the story as a parent will have to stop and explain.

But the story is interesting, probably better suited for 6 to 10 year-olds. I'm sure that Leonardo da Vinci isn't the easiest topic to write about, especially for an audience of children, so the author earns extra points there.