Are you planning to study the life and art of Michelangelo Buonarroti in your homeschool? Good news: we’ve got a fun list of children’s books about Michelangelo to help you learn!
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Unlike our diverse Leonardo da Vinci book list, most of the Michelangelo books we found are pretty similar in format, objective, and concept. That means most of these contain a good mix of biographical information about Michelangelo while also featuring examples of his greatest works.
The books that don’t fall into that category are delightful picture books that kids of all ages will likely enjoy. My suggestion is to incorporate one traditional nonfiction book with a couple of the picture books about Michelangelo as you study the artist with your kiddos.
Michelangelo Books for Kids
Before jumping into the books, note that all of the links in the overviews below lead to Amazon. If you prefer to support independent bookstores through your purchases, head to this Bookshop.org list.
1. Michelangelo for Kids
A wonderful starting point for learning about Michelangelo, Michelangelo for Kids: His Life and Ideas provides a thorough biography of his life and art along with details on the culture that surrounded him. Better yet, it includes 21 Michelangelo-inspired activities and projects to add hands-on learning to the mix.
2. Stone Giant
Stone Giant: Michelangelo’s David and How He Came to Be is a wonderful picture book choice that focuses Michelangelo’s and his most famous masterpiece, David. In addition to exploring the background and creation of David, the book includes further details about the renowned sculpture and its upkeep through the years.
3. Michelangelo
Mike Venezia’s Getting to Know the World’s Greatest Artists: Michelangelo is another good option for learning about Michelangelo. It combines cartoon-like illustrations and reproductions of Michelangelo’s work with notes of interest and biographical details to provide a fun introduction to the renaissance master.
4. Michelangelo’s Surprise
This fun book tells the story of Michelangelo and the masterpiece snowman he created for the Medici court. My daughter and I stumbled across this fun Michelangelo read at the library a few months ago. We had no clue what the pages contained when we removed it from the shelf, but it was a delightful surprise!
5. Michelangelo
Diane Stanley’s Michelangelo is a fantastic option for studying Michelangelo with kids. Thorough enough to be used as a standalone resource, this nonfiction picture book digs into Michelangelo’s formative years, personal life, and artistic ventures in painting, sculpting, and architecture.
6. Lives of the Artists: Michelangelo
This title from the Lives of the Artists series is another good nonfiction option for learning about Michelangelo. It includes full-color reproductions of his work, biographical information, maps, and timelines.
Worth noting, it’s no longer in print, but you may be able to borrow it from your local library. In fact, we first discovered it on our library shelves. :)
7. Michelangelo (Famous Artists)
Another one likely to be found at your local library, Famous Artists: Michelangelo covers Michelangelo’s background and career while looking at his most famous paintings and sculptures.
8. Michelangelo: Sculptor, Artist and Architect
This title from the Art Lessons for Kids series is a good option if you’re looking for Michelangelo books for kids that provide a basic overview of his life and work, but want the primary focus to be on the art itself.
Looking for more book lists about the master artists? You can find a list of all of our suggestions in this list of artist books for kids.