Fritz, Jean. 2001. Leonardo’s Horse. New York: Putnam. ISBN: 0399235760.
Plot summary: This book begins with the story of Leonardo da Vinci and his lifelong mission to complete a bronze horse statue. The famous artist became busy completing other masterpieces for which he is well-known, but he continued to work on his idea for the statue until a clay model was destroyed in a French invasion of Italy in 1499. According to this story, Leonardo died with regret for having never seen his bronze horse statue completed.
Several centuries later, a man named Charles Dent discovered the story about Leonardo’s plans for the horse. Dent decided to attempt to complete the vision by using modern technology and industry to construct the statue in honor of da Vinci. Unfortunately, Dent, too, died before completion of the horse, but his friends and family sought the help of a renowned sculptor to work on fine-tuning the models until it was finally ready to be cast in bronze. Five hundred years after Leonardo da Vinci’s original vision, the finished pieces of the statue were sent to Milan and affixed permanently near the racetrack.
Critical Analysis: The factual information in this picture book gives it substance and uniqueness. The author found out about the story when she read about the statue being sent to Italy in 1999, so she researched the story and decided to share it in picture book format. The story itself focuses more on the horse than its creators, which separates this book from the typical biography. Fritz aspired to fulfill the legend of da Vinci by honoring his lesser-known masterpiece in this text. The illustrator, Hudson Talbott had his own interest Italian art and culture and was able to examine the modern horse statue in order to better illustrate the story. The illustrations are a mix of simple line drawings and full color images created with watercolors, pencils and collage. The shape of the hardcover book – curved at the top – also makes this text unique.
Review Excerpts:
Publisher’s Weekly: “An inventive introduction to the Renaissance and one of its masters.” – Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information, Inc.
School Library Journal: “A title that is sure to create a lot of interest among young art, history, and horse lovers.” – Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information, Inc.
