Blockhead

The Life of Fibonacci

Joseph D'Agnese; illustrations by John O'Brien

Henry Holt and Co.

Download Image Joseph D'Agnese; illustrations by John O'Brien Blockhead

Available Formats

Book

As a young boy in medieval Italy, Leonardo Fibonacci thought about numbers day and night. He was such a daydreamer that people called him a blockhead.

When Leonardo grew up and traveled the world, he was inspired by the numbers used in different countries. Then he realized that many things in nature, from the number of petals on a flower to the spiral of a nautilus shell, seem to follow a certain pattern. The boy who was once teased for being a blockhead had discovered what came to be known as the Fibonacci Sequence!

 

Blockhead is a 2011 Bank Street - Best Children's Book of the Year.

Connect with the Author

Joseph D'Agnese

Sign Up for
Author Updates

Media

Watch

Book Trailer for Blockhead by Joseph D'Agnese

Math + Nature = Fibonacci! This trailer showcases Blockhead: The Life of Fibonacci. Author Joseph D'Agnese and illustrator John O'Brien present the story of the famed medieval Italian mathematician who discovered the legendary number sequence that bears his name.

Share This
Back

Reviews

Praise for Blockhead

"Charming and accessible..."—The New York Times Book Review

* "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."—Kirkus Reviews, starred review
 
"Math lover or not, readers should succumb to the charms of this highly entertaining biography of medieval mathematician Leonardo Fibonacci."—Publishers Weekly
 
"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."—Booklist

"This lighthearted introduction to Fibonacci’s ideas will inspire young math lovers and perhaps point them toward more scholarly explorations."—School Library Journal

"[An] engaging, kid-friendly look at Fibonacci and his eponymous numerical sequence... The book has some clever tongue-in-cheek humor, and D’Agnese does readers a favor by clearly explaining Fibonacci’s breeding rabbits scenario... 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.'"—Horn Book

"Young listeners should get the gist of Fibonacci’s work, and they can test their skills at identifying numbers in the Fibonacci sequence by looking for examples tucked throughout the artwork."—Bulletin of the Center for Children’s Books

Reviews from Goodreads

Placeholder
Melanie  rated it  
Dec 20, 2011
Do you remember back in Math class, hearing about Fibonacci Sequence? The name rung a bell with me when I heard that and was intrigued to see what this book was all about. The famous mathematician Leonardo Fibonacci, the young student amazed by and mesmerized by numbers.. much to the chagrin of his ...more
Placeholder
Trish  rated it  
Dec 3, 2011
I absolutely loved this book. Math is a big deal at our house. All my kids excell at math, they get it from their father. I love how he puts it simply but you can just tell that his mind is far more extravagant. Thank you so much for this book. My kids will love it too. I'm sure it will become ...more
Placeholder
Megan D.  rated it  
May 19, 2011
The author says in his note at the end of the book that "Little is known about the life of the mathematician called Leonardo Fibonacci. This story is based on the few things we do know--and a bit of make-believe."

The book tells the story of young Leonardo Fibonacci who spends ...more
See all Reviews
Back

About the Author

Joseph D'Agnese; illustrations by John O'Brien

Joseph D’Agnese is a writer and journalist who lives in the mountains of Western North Carolina. Though he writes about the Middle Ages, he considers himself a Renaissance man.

www.blockheadbook.com

John O’Brien is a frequent contributor to The New Yorker and has illustrated many popular children’s books, including Did Dinosaurs Eat Pizza and This is Baseball.

Joseph D'Agnese
John O'Brien

Back

Reading Guide

Other Guides

Back

Buy the Book

Available Formats and Book Details

Blockhead
The Life of Fibonacci
Joseph D'Agnese; illustrations by John O'Brien

Award

Bank Street Best Children's Book of the Year

Hardcover

Hardcover
Henry Holt and Co. (BYR)
Henry Holt and Co.
March 2010
Hardcover
ISBN: 9780805063059
ISBN10: 0805063056
Picture Book Nonfiction
8.5 x 11 inches, 40 pages, Full-color illustrations throughout
Age Range: 6 to 9
Grade Range: 1 to 4 Information for Librarians

Information for Librarians


AR Quiz Number: 136583
AR Book Level: 3.7
AR Points: 0.5

$16.99
Back

From The Publisher

Henry Holt and Co. (BYR)

Latest on Facebook

Latest on Twitter

Back