Review by New York Times Review
The Fibonacci series explains patterns that appear over and over again in nature, defining everything from the predictability of generations of rabbits to the arrangement of petals on a flower. Leonardo Fibonacci, we find out in this charming and accessible account, was nicknamed "Bigollo," which might mean wanderer, dreamer or just blockhead. Instead, Fibonacci (born around 1170) is now considered "the greatest Western mathematician of the Middle Ages." JULIE JUST
Copyright (c) The New York Times Company [August 15, 2010]
Review by Booklist Review
Though written in a modern idiom ( Yuck,' I thought. Who wants to be a merchant?' ), D'Agnese's introduction to medieval Europe's greatest mathematician offers both a coherent biographical account spun, with some invented details, from very sketchy historical records and the clearest explanation to date for younger readers of the numerical sequence that is found throughout nature and still bears his name. O'Brien's illustrations place the prosperously dressed, woolly headed savant in his native Pisa and other settings, contemplating flowers, seashells, and the so-called arabic numerals (which he promoted vigorously and rightly ascribes to India), as well as presenting a visual solution to his most famous mathematical word problem. Closing with a page of relevant activities for young naturalists, this picture book makes an excellent alternative to Joy N. Hulme's colorful but flawed Wild Fibonacci: Nature's Secret Code Revealed, illustrated by Carol Schwartz (2005).--Peters, John Copyright 2010 Booklist
From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Review by Publisher's Weekly Review
Math lover or not, readers should succumb to the charms of this highly entertaining biography of medieval mathematician Leonardo Fibonacci. "You can call me Blockhead. Everyone else does," opens the lighthearted narrative. As an adult, he works out a math problem that involves reproducing rabbits and discovers a pattern that repeats itself in nature, which becomes the sequence of numbers that now bears his name. Hence, his obsession is vindicated: "All my life people had called me Blockhead because I daydreamed about numbers. But how could that be bad? Mother Nature loved numbers too!" D'Agnese's colloquial tone (King Frederick II calls Fibonacci a "smart cookie") lures readers into the story and even invites them to ferret out patterns in the illustrations. Atop dappled backgrounds, O'Brien's delicate swirls and hatch marks echo the mathematical patterns-another graceful connection between math and the real world in which children live. Ages 6-9. (Apr.) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved
(c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved
Review by School Library Journal Review
Gr 2-5-In this presentation of Joseph D'Agnese's book (Holt, 2010), viewers learn about medieval math genius Leonardo Fibonacci. While there really isn't much original source material on Fibonacci, the author weaves what is known into a first-person narrative about a boy who loves math and sees mathematical patterns in nature. John O'Brien's detailed, medieval-flavored illustrations are scanned as Kirby Ward provides the narration. The illustrations are quite clever as canny viewers will notice patterns and swirls that reflect some of Fibonacci's discoveries. Students will learn about the switch from Roman to Arabic numerals, as well as a way to view the Fibonacci sequence using rabbits. Background music reflects the changing locations in the book. An introduction by the author provides useful additional information. This interesting salute to a legendary mathematician might inspire students.-Teresa Bateman. Brigadoon Elementary School, Federal Way, WA (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
(c) Copyright Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Review by Horn Book Review
Bigollo ("idler, dreamer, or lazy person") -- or, as biographer D'Agnese translates it, "blockhead" -- was the nickname of medieval mathematician Leonardo Fibonacci (see preceding review). It's a curious historical detail that D'Agnese teases out in this engaging, kid-friendly look at Fibonacci and his eponymous numerical sequence (1, 1, 2, 3, 5, 8, 13...). In Pisa, Italy, in 1178, a young Leonardo daydreams about "the glory of numbers." But his mathematical musings lead to trouble. "There will be no thinking in this classroom -- only working! You're nothing but an absent-minded, lazy dreamer, you...you BLOCKHEAD!" his teacher yells. Leonardo's classmates repeat the nickname, and he hears it yet again when he nearly collides with a stone block in a churchyard. Determined to save his "idiot" son's reputation -- and his own -- Leonardo's merchant father takes him on a business trip to Africa. During his travels, the merchant-in-training continues to study "what makes [him] happiest": numbers. The book has some clever tongue-in-cheek humor, and D'Agnese does readers a favor by clearly explaining Fibonacci's breeding rabbits scenario, though his description of Fibonacci's work with spirals could have benefited from a bit more detail. Throughout the book, O'Brien's illustrations are textured with swirls and spirals -- a whimsical homage to the man who discovered, as he believed, "the numbers Mother Nature uses to order the universe." From HORN BOOK, (c) Copyright 2010. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
(c) Copyright The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Review by Kirkus Book Review
"You can call me Blockhead, everyone else does." So Leonardo Fibonacci declares in first-person voice in the opening of this picture-book biography. Who was he? Fascinated with numbers as a child, Leonardo grew from a daydreaming boy in medieval Italy to become one of the greatest European mathematicians of the Middle Ages. He found something to count everywhere, but his father wanted him to be a merchant and took him to North Africa to do his accounts. Leonardo learned fractions from the Egyptians, geometry in Greece and Hindu-Arabic numerals from India. He wrote a book that posed his mystifying, multiplying rabbit question. The lively text includes touches of humor; Emperor Frederick called him "one smart cookie." O'Brien's signature illustrations textured with thin lines re-create a medieval setting. The last page lists things to find in the pictures, like a three-leafed clover and spirals, as well as activities that reinforce his concepts. Few people will know this man's name, but the book will be a boon to math teachers, homeschoolers and others piqued by the title. (Picture book/biography. 6-10) Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
