Leonardo da Vinci (by Diane Stanley)

Diane Stanley's LEONARDO DA VINCI is every parent's answer to the problem of dry, boring biographies. Kids will want to read this book -- cover to cover -- and then read it again. What sets it apart from other biographies is the author's ability to bring her well-researched text to life with finely detailed illustrations that blend the famous artist's work with her own.

Stanley's art is a stunning combination of watercolor, gouache, colored pencil, and photo collage of Leonardo's greatest works; it's so rich and detailed that it almost tells the story all by itself. The text is packed with little-known facts, such as how da Vinci's 24-foot clay sculpture of a horse was never cast in bronze as intended, and was eventually used for target practice by the French. Readers also learn how he frequently abandoned paintings and how he protected his notes by writing in backward script. Kids will hurry to the nearest mirror to read the backward text on the back cover.