Leonardo's Horse Read Free Books and Download eBooks
"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)
Lexile Measure: 660L (What's this?)
Hardcover: 48 pages
Publisher: G.P. Putnam's Sons Books for Young Readers; 1St Edition edition (October 1, 2001)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 8811580471
ISBN-13: 978-8811580478
ASIN: 0399235760
Product Dimensions: 8.5 x 0.5 x 11.8 inches
Shipping Weight: 1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars See all reviews (17 customer reviews)
Best Sellers Rank: #200,822 in Books (See Top 100 in Books) #54 in Books > Children's Books > Arts, Music & Photography > Art > Sculpture #1421 in Books > Children's Books > Biographies #2720 in Books > Children's Books > Literature & Fiction > Chapter Books & Readers > Beginner Readers
Age Range: 6 - 9 years
Grade Level: 1 - 4
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!
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.
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!
This book is far from the whole truth. It should have been written giving equal credit and justice to Charles Dent (original benefactor), Nina Akamu (sculptor) and Frederik Meijer (benefactor). It was a combination of all three wonderful people to make this a reality for the people of Milan and the people of Grand Rapids, Michigan. To have reduced Mr. Meijer's role in making this a reality for the world to see and experience, on the book's last page under "Author's Note," is not giving the reader of this book the whole story. Without Nina Akamu and Frederik Meijer these beautiful horses (Milan, Italy and Grand Rapids, Michigan) would never have been created and the reader deserves more.
If you thought you knew everything about Leonardo Da Vinci, you may not have known about the horse that he was never able to finish. This disappointment in his life adds a bit of humanity to a man that we often felt attained perfection.That a man separated by centuries would want to complete Leonardo's dream is very touching. He tried to create the horse with the dignity and care that Da Vinci would have used, but not being an artist, his horse was flawed. In stepped another artist, this time a woman, who was finally able to create a horse to be given to the people of Italy. Unfortunately, the man who started the project, Carlton Dent, did not live to see its completion.The illustrations are absolutely gorgeous, and fitting of this story that stretches from the renaissance into modern times. The shape of the book is used ingenoiusly to create illustrations that would not have the same impact in a rectangular format. The page that touched me the deepest was the elderly Leonardo lying in bed with ghostly horses dancing in his dreams.This is an unusual story that may be above some of the very little ones heads, but it is thorougly captivating, and well worth the read for young and old.
Libros para ninos en español: Leonardo la serie el león [Children's Books in Spanish: Leonardo the Lion Series] Leonardo's Shadow: Or, My Astonishing Life as Leonardo da Vinci's Servant Leonardo's Shadow: Or, My Astonishing Life as Leonardo da Vinci's Ser Feed Your Horse Like a Horse: Optimize Your Horse's Nutrition for a Lifetime of Vibrant Health Leonardo's Horse Horse Coloring Book: Coloring Stress Relief Patterns for Adult Relaxation - Best Horse Lover Gift Horse Games & Puzzles: 102 Brainteasers, Word Games, Jokes & Riddles, Picture Puzzlers, Matches & Logic Tests for Horse-Loving Kids (Storey's Games & Puzzles) Chico's Challenge: The Story of an American Quarter Horse (The Breyer Horse Collection) The Original Book of Horse Treats: Recipes You Can Make at Home for Your Horse! The Horse Anatomy Workbook: A Learning Aid for Students Based on Peter Goody's Classic Work, Horse Anatomy (Allen Student) Natural Horse-Man-Ship: Six Keys to a Natural Horse-Human Relationship (A Western Horseman Book) Horse Crazy!: 1,001 Fun Facts, Craft Projects, Games, Activities, and Know-How for Horse-Loving Kids First Horse: The Complete Guide for the First-Time Horse Owner Whole Heart, Whole Horse: Building Trust Between Horse and Rider What I'd Teach Your Horse: Training & Re-Training the Basics (Horse Training How-To) (Volume 8) Teach Your Horse Perfect Manners: How You Should Behave So Your Horse Does Too The Power of Positive Horse Training: Saying Yes to Your Horse (Howell Equestrian Library) How to Train Your Horse: A Complete Guide to Making an Honest Horse Horse Show Judging for Beginners: Getting Started as a Horse Show Judge Horse Agility: Liberty Horse Training
