10 Children’s Books About Leonardo da Vinci

Planning to study da Vinci in your homeschool? Here are 10 books about Leonardo da Vinci to help you learn.

10 Children's Books About Leonardo da Vinci

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Leonardo da Vinci was a man who never stopped dreaming, creating, and experimenting. Because he made groundbreaking contributions across several disciplines, there are some wonderful children’s books that explore his life and his work.

While there’s no shortage of da Vinci books out there, some work better in a homeschool setting than others. Here are ten books about Leonardo da Vinci that will help you explore the life and legacy of this revolutionary thinker.

Top 10 Children’s Books About Leonardo da Vinci

Before we jump into the reading list, keep in mind that all of the links in the overviews below lead to Amazon. If you prefer to support independent bookstores, you’ll find a similar list on Bookshop.org (with some extras not referenced below!).

1. Leonardo da Vinci for Kids

If you only explore da Vinci’s life and contributions through one book, let it be Leonardo da Vinci for Kids: His Life and Ideas. This is probably my favorite book about Leonardo da Vinci because it explores his work as a scientist as much as an artist and includes activities kids can enjoy at home.

2. Leonardo and the Flying Boy

Leonardo and the Flying Boy is a great choice if you prefer picture books about Leonardo da Vinci. This book from Anholt’s Artists Books for Children series highlights Leonardo da Vinci the artist and Leonardo da Vinci the scientist through they eyes of a curious apprentice.

3. Who Was Leonardo da Vinci?

Who Was Leonardo da Vinci? is a great option if you’re looking for a kid-friendly da Vinci biography. Like others in the Who Was? series, this book is an easy read for older kids and does a good job introducing relevant facts and lesser-known elements as well.

Da Vinci & Bookshop.org

You can support local bookstores through your purchases by shopping this list on Bookshop.org. You’ll find most of these titles and some extras waiting for you there.

4. Monday with a Mad Genius

If your kids love adventure stories, Monday with a Mad Genius is a wonderful way to introduce them to da Vinci. This Magic Tree House adventure follows siblings Jack and Annie as they experience Renaissance times and meet Leonardo da Vinci.

Pair Monday with a Mad Genius with the matching da Vinci Fact Tracker and give your kids the best of both worlds. Use Monday with a Mad Genius to get their imaginations churning and the nonfiction Fact Tracker to help them dig deeper into the life of Leonardo da Vinci.

5. A Weekend with Leonardo da Vinci

Check with your local library for this one. A Weekend with Leonardo da Vinci may be harder to find, but it’s a great option for older readers looking for da Vinci books. It’s written in a way that allows the reader to visit da Vinci and hear him talk about his life, work, successes, and works in progress.

6. Leonardo da Vinci

Looking for a to-the-point book about da Vinci? National Geographic’s Leonardo da Vinci includes loads of facts, illustrations, and a timeline of da Vinci’s life.

7. Leonardo: Beautiful Dreamer

Full of beautiful illustrations and rich in fact, Leonardo: Beautiful Dreamer goes much deeper than other picture books about da Vinci. This book follows da Vinci’s life, work across his many disciplines, and even showcases a playful side of da Vinci.

8. Leonardo da Vinci

Need a da Vinci book that’s a good combination of fun and facts? Mike Venezia’s Leonardo da Vinci is a great choice. This book focuses on da Vinci as an artist and includes paintings, biographical information, and funny illustrations.

9. Katie and the Mona Lisa

This sweet picture book from James Mayhew’s Katie series introduces young readers to the most famous painting in the world, Leonardo da Vinci’s Mona Lisa. In Katie and the Mona Lisa, readers follow Katie as she meets Mona Lisa, visits other notable Renaissance works, and helps her find the smile she’s known for today.

10. Neo Leo: The Ageless Ideas of Leonardo da Vinci

What I love about Neo Leo is how it dives into da Vinci as a revolutionary thinker. While this aspect of da Vinci’s contributions is certainly highlighted in other books on this list, Neo Leo focuses on his inventive work that paved the way for several things we rely heavily on today.

10 Children's Books About Leonardo da Vinci

Looking for more books about artists? Here are a few lists you’ll want to see:

2 thoughts on “10 Children’s Books About Leonardo da Vinci”

  1. Margaret Campbell

    The Life of Leonardo da Vinci For Young People is a helpful book. It not only teaches the life of Leonardo. It also gives pages for children to write about their own self-reflection.

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