Leonardo da Vinci's Life of Invention

Immerse yourself in the world of the spellbinding genius Leonardo da Vinci, master of art, architecture, engineering, mathematics and more. From his futuristic inventions to the breadth of his artistic skill, discover the fascinating life and legacy of the Renaissance man. The award-winning author and illustrator behind Darwin’s Voyage of Discovery and Really Remarkable Reptiles turns his attention to the Renaissance man: Leonardo da Vinci. Leonardo da Vinci was a master of art, architecture, engineering, mathematics and more. Discover his relationship with the natural world, his futuristic inventions and the breadth of his artistic skill in this spellbinding celebration of his genius. Follow his early years – born to a poor mother and receiving no formal education, it is amazing that an innate fire of curiosity and imagination fuelled this man to achieve extraordinary success and a place amongst history’s elite. Learn about his legacy today – the bewitching power of the world’s most famous portrait, the Mona Lisa – as well as the influence of his inventions in modern daily life. This gorgeous hardback is filled with Jake Williams' characteristically stylish illustrations.

“Packed with easy to read information … #ifkidshadcoffeetables they'd definitely be showing this off!It is a great share for #teachkidstuesdays too and it gives rich material for a starting point for a KS2 topic with children not only learning about a famous person and the history of the Renaissance, but creating their own unique inventions in DT, learning about plants and animals or human biology in Science and of course refining their own observational and artistic techniques. I love Jake Williams' stylish and stylised illustrations … [The book] gives a great platform for curiosity and further research into this area.” Mrs Brown’s Book Box “This wonderful book takes us through Leonardo Da Vinci's life, his inventions and ideas… This book is really well done and perfectly pitched for children at the end of primary school or in Key Stage 3. Younger children will enjoy bitesized parts of this book too.” Literate Littles “This book takes a closer look at all aspects of [Leonardo’s] life. The 96 thick, matt pages in brown and orange earthy tones are full of stylish illustration and accompanied with short bursts of information. This is a great book that celebrates Leonardo da Vinci. His life, work and legacy.” Raising Bookworms “If kids had coffee tables, then LEONARDO DA VINCI’S LIFE OF INVENTION would definitely be sitting on it tempting us all to dive in! … This stunningly illustrated hardback book is packed with interesting information about Leonardo’s life, his ideas, inventions, artwork and his incredible legacy… Leonardo’s Life of Invention is the kind of information book that you can dip-in and out as its presented in an accessible way with short bursts of text and bold, colourful shape-based vector illustrations… The prose is well written (with a light humorous touch) and captured all of my children’s (aged 6, 9 and 11) attention, interest and imagination.” Children’s Fiction

Jake Williams is a Plymouth-based illustrator, designer and occasional animator. He creates shape-based vector illustration with bold and vibrant colours. Jake's work has been featured in Creative Boom, Adobe and The Bookseller, and was awarded BDC's New Designer of The Year 2017.