I recently saw a press release about a book called “Leonardo Da Vinci – great lives in graphics” and although the book is a bit young for my kids I was interested in the idea of this series. My first thought was it might be a way of encouraging kids who are not eager readers to pick up a book and learn about a famous and fascinating person. So I decided to get a review copy to see for myself if it could be an option of primary ages kids (the book does have an 8+ age recommendation).
First thoughts when the book arrived – there are LOTS of graphics and the text is formatted into small blocks on information. It is NOT a graphic novel but there is something about the format that gave me that vibe of graphic novel – I think it is because the pages are colourful, fill of pictures and small blocks of text.
I feel like it would be appealing to those who are a bit intimidated or put-off by normal reading books. So yes my first instinct is if you kids are not avid readers then this format might be more appealing and less intimidating for them.
Content wise I was impressed. I thought they included lots of interesting facts, some of which I expected but quite a bit of it was new to me. And I loved the fact that although they do talk about his art (of course how could you write a book about Leonardo Da Vinci without mentioning the Mona Lisa or the Last Supper) they also talk a lot about his other interests and his personality. I found learning that he had a habit of not finishing his projects and that he was a vegetarian (because of his love of animals) fascinating.
I also loved how they included his Scientific side and the way he studied the body.
And yes the pages on the Mona Lisa and the Last Supper were expected but even so they were filled with interesting facts.
Although this book is now a bit young for my kids it is one that I would have happily included in our home education when they were younger.
And yes I do think this format may be appealing to lots of young readers.
Our local library does not have this range of books and I have not spotted them in our local book stores (but that may just be the town where I live). I did check and they are on Amazon – Great Lives in Graphics Leonardo Da Vinci (affiliate link)
Admin – As I mentioned we were given a few copy of this book but I was not paid for the post. I just spotted this series and thought it may be a interesting book for other home educators and parents.
I do include Affiliate links. If you follow an affiliate link and go on to purchase that product, I will be paid a very small commission, however your cost will remain the same. I only include affiliate links for products that we recommend.