Jack and Annie meet Leonardo da Vinci the Mad Genius
Written: Sep 19 '07
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Product Rating:
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Pros: Fun story with a history lesson hidden in the pages.
Cons: None.
The Bottom Line: The Bottom Line is reading with its child.
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| dramastef's Full Review: Mary Osborne - Monday With a Mad Genius |
Jack and Annie from Frog Creek, Pennsylvania
Just in case you don't know, Jack and Annie are siblings who live in Frog Creek, Pennsylvania. One day they happened upon a mysterious tree house in the woods near their house. They soon learned that the tree house was magic, and it could take them to any time and place in history. Eventually they learned that the tree house belonged to Morgan le Fay of Camelot, and she sent them on many adventures. In the latest books, Jack and Annie have been on "Merlin Missions" to help save Camelot.
Leonardo da Vinci the Mad Genius
This latest Magic Tree House book, number 38, Monday with a Mad Genius, continues the Merlin Missions. Jack and Annie are sent to Florence, Italy in the early 1500s and instructed to spend the day helping Leonardo da Vinci in order to find out the secret of happiness and help Merlin.
Some books back, Jack and Annie were given a magical wand, but there are specific rules they must adhere to in order to use the wand: they must have tried their hardest first, it can only be used for the good of others, and it can only be used with a command of five words. Though this adds a cute, fun aspect to the stories, I preferred Jack and Annie having to rely more on their wits than magic. This is a very minor issue, however.
In Florence, once they meet the great artist, they follow him around for a day as he paints The Battle of Anghiari, melts the paint, tries to fly, finishes a portrait of one mysterious-smiling lady, and promises her never to sell the portrait. Leonardo is written as an eccentric man, so full of ideas that he rarely finishes any of them before he rushes off to the next. Throughout the short book, Leonardo and the children throw out a few answers to the burning question of the secret of happiness, and quickly disprove them before the arrive at the final answer.
Reading and Learning
The Magic Tree House books are wonderful for early readers. The chapters are short, the subjects are interesting, and to the joy of parents everywhere, author Mary Pope Osborne writes about actual places and events. She takes children from today and plops them into actual places in history. She does a wonderful job of integrating learning and entertainment.
My eight-year-old daughter still loves the books in this series, and she asks for each one as it is published, though I fear she's fast outgrowing them and will soon stop asking. Until that day, however, I'll gladly buy each one and read them with her. The author always adds an interesting bit at the end of her books about the facts of the time and place of her book, which usually make for interesting conversation between my daughter and I.
Fighting Illiteracy
I bought Monday with a Mad Genius to send to the Mississippi Humanities Council as part of the Fight Illiteracy Write-Off. Please read about it and consider joining!
Recommended:
Yes
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