Brief Description: 2-part book about Leonardo da Vinci’s unrealized giant horse sculpture, and the American art enthusiast who recreated it.
Geographical Setting: Allentown, Europe, Florence, Italy, Milan, North America, Pennsylvania, United States
Historical Era: 15th Century, 16th Century, 20th Century
Date Range: 1452-1519 (da Vinci's lifespan), 1999
Keywords: art and artists, Charles Dent, Italian Renaissance, Leonardo da Vinci, Ludovico Sforza
Original Publication: 2001
Suitable for Grades: 1-6th
Target Audience: Picture Book, Chapter Book
Librarian's Review
I was surprised by this book largely because I was expecting it to open a path for the youngest audience to learn more about the life and times of Leonardo da Vinci in Renaissance Italy. Instead, this nonfiction book is only partly about da Vinci, and more about a modern art enthusiast, Charles Dent, who, along with other artists, recreated the giant horse sculpture and presented it to the city of Milan in 1999. Fritz does a great job describing the unusual young Da Vinci his fascination with horses. iThe illustrations by Hudson Talbott are absolutely gorgeous, especially when they feature a young Leonardo. …. You can learn more about Dent’s modern endeavor to complete the sculpture at the Da Vinci Science Center’s website, and from its YouTube video series: Leonardo’s Horse: The History and Leonardo’s Horse: The Sculpting Process.