Neo Leo: The Ageless Ideas of Leonardo da Vinci

By Gene Barretta

An introduction to Leonardo da Vinci's genius focusing on his famous notebook sketches and the modern inventions they predicted.

In 1781, Thomas Paine came up with a model for a single-span bridge; in 1887, Adolf Eugen Fick made the first pair of contact lenses; and in 1907, Paul Cornu built the first helicopter. But Leonardo da Vinci thought of all these ideas more than five hundred years ago!

At once an artist, inventor, engineer, and scientist, da Vinci wrote and drew detailed descriptions of what would later become hang gliders, automobiles, robots, and much more. In Neo Geo, Gene Barretta cleverly shows how Leonardo's ideas—many inspired by his love of nature—foreshadowed modern inventions, offering a window into the future.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Macmillan Publishers
• Release date: Aug 4, 2009
• ISBN: 9781466818835

Gene Barretta

Gene Barretta is the author and illustrator of Now & Ben: The Modern Inventions of Benjamin Franklin; Neo Leo: The Ageless Ideas of Leonardo da Vinci and Timeless Thomas: How Thomas Edison Changed Our Lives. He is also author and illustrator of Dear Deer, which was a Notable Children’s Book in the Language Arts and listed on the Parenting Magazine Mom-Tested Books of the Year List. He holds a B.F.A. in Film Studies from New York University, and has worked for many years in film and television production. He lives in Wynnewood, Pennsylvania with his son.

Book preview

[jenniferm14 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

This informative book creatively contrasts inventions to the notes of Leonardo da Vinci that were written years earlier. Readers will be able to learn about dates of official inventions and compare them to the written ideas of Leonardo. This book is suitable for primary readers.

[amcarter-1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

This is an informative book that compares technology that children may already be familiar with to ideas by da Vinci. It shows them that many of these inventions were conceptualized by da Vinci long before their creation. The illustrations are lovely, interesting, and informative.

[conlonk · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I thought that this was an interesting book. I realized that I didn't know much about the work about Leonardo da Vinci before reading this book, and now I find him fascinating. The book is all about ideas for inventions from the notebook of da Vinci that became a reality centuries later. The general message of the story was that da Vinci was a brilliant inventor, and thought of many amazing innovations before their time. Interesting read, especially for someone who like history, science, or nonfiction.

[epark6 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

 In my opinion, this is an interesting book. The reader is able to learn about the year different inventions were made in history and have them compared to the ideas that Leonardo da Vinci had written down. One reason why I liked this book was because of the writing. The way the book was organized was very clever. The book is called Neo Leo and this is expressed throughout the book. On the left side of the page, it says Neo, showing the inventions that happened not too long ago. On the right side, it says Leo, which shows what idea Leo had in comparison to the Neo. Having the pages organized this way makes it easier for the readers to understand how similar the inventions and ideas were.

Another reason why I liked this book was because of the illustrations. In this picture book, the reader can compare what da Vinci drew and what was actually invented. In da Vinci's drawings, one could see that the idea was there, but many times it was hard to implement because of financial reasons or the time period, where it would've been hard to test the idea out. Readers can easily see how times have changed since the time period da Vinci's been alive.

The purpose of this book is to allow readers to be more aware of who Leonardo da Vinci was and what impact he had on history. The readers can see that he had many ideas and inventions that were later implemented.

[abigailadams26 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Picture-book author/artist Gene Barretta, whose 2006 Now & Ben: The Modern Inventions of Benjamin Franklin offered an engaging exploration of the influence of Benjamin Franklin's innovations and inventions on modern life, returns to the same formula with Neo Leo, which, as its subtitle suggests, is an examination of Leonardo Da Vinci's revolutionary designs and ideas, and how they eventually came into being, centuries after he first dreamt of them. From airplanes to contact lens, bicycles to single-span bridges, Leonardo imagined and designed these inventions first, long before they actually were (or could) be created. Comparing the "Neo" - the actual invention of various machines and mechanisms - with the "Leo" - the ideas for these inventions, found in Da Vinci's notebooks - Barretta highlights this brilliant Renaissance man's visionary insight into how the world worked, and how it might be improved.

Chosen, along with Now & Ben, as one of our November selections, over in the Picture-Book Club to which I belong, where our theme this month is "Inventions," Neo Leo is an engaging, informative title, one that is sure to spark an interest in young readers with a fascination for innovation and discovery. Like its companion, I found both the text and the artwork appealing, and, unlike its companion, I also appreciated that there was a list of further resources at the rear (something missing from the Franklin title). That said, although I thought the inclusion of words written backward in the artwork - a nod to Da Vinci's own practice of writing backward - was creative, I would have preferred that those words be in print, rather than in cursive script, as it made it extremely difficult to read. Not having a mirror to hand, I gave up after the first few pages, and have docked a star accordingly. Backward writing is one thing, but backward writing that is difficult to read, because of type choice, is another.

Still, this was an engaging book, and I recommend it to all young readers with an interest in that incredible man, Leonardo Da Vinci, or in the history of invention in general.