Leonardo da Vinci

Discover the incredible story of Leonardo da Vinci, the Renaissance genius whose boundless curiosity and creativity changed the world.    Young readers will follow Leonardo from his childhood in the small village of Vinci, Italy, where he sketched animals and dreamed of flying machines, to his training as an artist and his creation of world-famous paintings like the Mona Lisa and The Last Supper. Along the way, they’ll see how his endless imagination and fascination with nature shaped his life’s work. But his talents didn’t stop there…  Throughout his life, Leonard set himself challenges. Lacking any real formal education, at the age of 30 he taught himself Latin. Around this time, he moved to Milan to work for the ruling Sforza family as an engineer, sculptor, painter and architect. From designing flying machines to sketching the first ideas for submarines and robots, Leonardo’s brilliant and technical mind meant he was always thinking centuries ahead of his time. Now, this book brings his groundbreaking inventions and wide-ranging genius to life.  Leonardo’s work continues to influence art, science and innovation today. His story teaches children to embrace their curiosity, explore their passions and never stop learning. By showing how one person’s imagination can shape the future, this inspiring book will spark creativity in young readers and encourage them to see the world through curious, questioning eyes – just like Leonardo.  This powerful book features detailed illustrations and extra facts at the back, including a biographical timeline with historical photos and a detailed profile of Leonardo’s life.  Little People, BIG DREAMS is a bestselling biography series for kids that explores the lives of outstanding people, from designers and artists to scientists and activists. All of them achieved incredible things, yet each began life as a child with a dream.  This empowering series of books offers inspiring messages to children of all ages, in a range of formats. The board books are told in simple sentences, perfect for reading aloud to babies and toddlers. The hardback versions present expanded stories for beginning readers. With rewritten text for older children, the treasuries each bring together a multitude of dreamers in a single volume. You can also collect a selection of the books by theme in boxed gift sets. Activity books and a journal provide even more ways to make the lives of these role models accessible to children. 

Maria Isabel Sánchez Vegara, born in Barcelona, Spain, is a writer and creative director in constant search of new concepts for children's books. In 2014, she created a book for her two twin nieces for their birthday, which shortly thereafter became the first book in the Little People, BIG DREAMS series. This multimillion-copy bestselling series of picture books explores the lives of outstanding people. From Mahatma Gandhi to Aretha Franklin, to Prince, Sánchez Vegara researches complex careers and makes them accessible to young children, with her unique and mindful style of writing. She works with a diverse team of illustrators to make each book lively, eye-catching and motivating. Working for more than fifteen years for clients in top advertising agencies, her books combine creativity with learning, aiming to establish a new and fresh relationship between children and pop culture. ​