Bruno Monguzzi’s first children’s book is a tale of a tail – and head and legs. A horse to be exact, named Leonardo, sculpted by da Vinci for Ludovico il Moro (yet never cast because bronze was used to make cannons instead).
The book, Leonardo (Gabriele Capelli Editore, in Italian) is presented as a mock-up or sketched out preliminary dummy of a book, “structured to follow the natural rhythm of a conversation” between Monguzzi and his children, Elisa and Nicolas. According to the publisher, “After observing the ways children respond to different visual stimuli . . .” it was inferred “that children’s creative potentials are encouraged to grow when they receive complex stimulation as they do when they see works expressed in a full-developed adult manner, while they remain indifferent to more child-like figurative or narrative models.”
Monguzzi’s Leonardo is indeed a more artfully designed book than many. The reader or viewer can see the process of making the book and experiencing the process of learning about Leonardo and more.
Alas it is only in Italian at the moment. But for those who do not know the language, it is nonetheless a joy to peruse.
