"Iron rusts from disuse; stagnant water loses its purity, and in cold weather becomes frozen; even so does inaction sap the vigor of the mind." (Leonardo)

In Charles River Editors' History for Kids series, your children can learn about history's most important people and events in an easy, entertaining, and educational way. The concise but comprehensive audiobook will keep your kid's attention all the way to the end.

The Renaissance spawned the use of the label "Renaissance Man" to describe a person who is extremely talented in multiple fields, and no discussion of the Renaissance is complete without the original "Renaissance Man", Leonardo da Vinci. Indeed, if 100 people are asked to describe Leonardo in one word, they might give 100 answers. As the world's most famous polymath and genius, Leonardo found time to be a painter, sculptor, architect, musician, scientist, mathematician, engineer, inventor, anatomist, geologist, cartographer, botanist, and writer.

It would be hard to determine which field Leonardo had the greatest influence in. His Mona Lisa and The Last Supper are among the most famous paintings of all time, standing up against even Michelangelo's work. But even if he was not the age's greatest artist, Leonardo may have conduced his most influential work was done in other fields. His emphasis on the importance of nature would influence enlightened philosophers centuries later, and he sketched speculative designs for gadgets like helicopters that would take another four centuries to create. Leonardo's vision and philosophy were made possible by his astounding work as a mathematician, engineer, and scientist, at a time when much of science was dictated by church teachings, Leonardo studied geology and anatomy long before they became scientific fields, and he used his incredible artistic abilities to sketch the famous Vitruvian Man, linking art and science together.

Leonardo also conducted scientific experiments using empirical methods nearly 150 years before Rene Descartes' Discourse on Method. As Leonardo explained in his writings, "Many will think they may reasonably blame me by alleging that my proofs are opposed to the authority of certain men held in the highest reverence by their inexperienced judgments - not considering that my works are the issue of pure and simple experience, who is the one true mistress."

History for Kids: The Illustrated Life of Leonardo Da Vinci chronicles Leonardo's amazing life and work. Your kids will learn about Leonardo like never before.