Most biographies of Leonardo daVinci celebrate his myriad successful inventions and influential art. In this gorgeous picture book biography, Byrd emphasizes daVinci’s nature as that of a visionary and dreamer. Beautiful, detailed drawings are scattered in boxes alongside squares of text that tell the story of his life and of his achievements and failures. Byrd’s drawings include versions of specific works by da Vinci that will be recognizable by many readers, as well as representations of the sights and sounds of his time. The visual details are extraordinary, if at times overwhelming. Even without text, they convey the story of a man with scientific acumen, artistic genius, and a wild sense of humor. Nowhere else will readers find a study of daVinci that includes everything from his pets (he had a porcupine and a lizard) to his intricate scientific fantasies, which would be realized hundreds of years later (the telescope and the airplane). An author’s note describes the challenges in writing a biography of Leonardo, and a detailed timeline of his life. (Ages 10–14)

Famous in his time as a painter, prankster, and philosopher, Leonardo da Vinci was also a musician, sculptor, and engineer for dukes, popes, and kings. What remains of his work-from futuristic designs and scientific inquiry to artwork of ethereal beauty-reveals the ambitious, unpredictable brilliance of a visionary, and a timeless dreamer.

Robert Byrd celebrates this passionate, playful genius in a glowing picture book replete with the richness and imagination of Leonardo's own notebooks. Twenty lavish spreads, including side drawings, supplemental texts, and quotes from Leonardo's writings, highlight distinct periods and make the master's art, jokes, explorations, and inventions wonderfully vivid and accessible. A striking tribute to an irrepressible mind and to the potential within all who are curious.