Inventions

Title: Inventions: Pop-up models from the drawings of Leonardo da Vinci

Bibliographic information:

Author: David Hawcock

Illustrator: Leonardo DaVinci

Paper Engineer:  David Hawcock

• Hardcover: 12 pages
• Publisher: Walker Books Ltd (November 3, 2008)
• Language: English

Reader's Annotation:

This striking book takes sketches from Leonardo Da Vinci’s notebooks and brings them to life with paper engineering.

Interest Level: Ages 8-14

Lexile level: Not Applicable

Awards, if applicable:

Not Applicable

Plot summary: Have you ever wanted to see the sketches of Leonardo DaVinci in full motion and three dimensions?  This striking book takes DaVinci’s sketches, explains them to the modern reader, and creates a paper model that pops out of the pages. To quote the author, it “captures the spirit of a brilliant man beyond his time.”

Critical review: What better way to capture the ideas of DaVinci than to see them pop to life?  That was the idea behind Hawcock’s book, and it is a unique and special idea.  The text is accurate, taking time to explain the principles behind DaVinci’s inventions, and the potential implications.  The pop-ups add to the story, without distracting from the overall text.

Why include it?

This unique combination of pop-up book and non-fiction book helps bring the inventions and ideas of Leonardo DaVinci to life in a way that is incredibly interesting and beautiful.  It will be available in a new American edition in August of 2016.