What People Are Saying About

Blockhead: The Life of Fibonacci

“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

“Not a blockhead was he, that Fibonacci.” — Rasco from RIF

“I enjoyed this book a lot and I think it has serious kid appeal...an interesting hybrid between picture book biography and fable.” — Sarah C. Campbell, author, Growing Patterns: Fibonacci Patterns in Nature

“The story is written in the first person as if Leonardo is telling us about his life. It’s a very effective way to make the story accessible and interesting.” — Abby the Librarian

“Both text and pictures are lively and provide an entertaining tale of how Fibonaci (may have) discovered the sequence that bears his name.” —  Greg Leitich-Smith

“Read this book, share it with the people you love, and you’ll never look at the world in quite the same way.” — Children’s Literature Network

1. *Best 2010 Science Books for Kids — Smithsonian Magazine
   

2. *Best Children’s Books of the Year — Bank Street College
   

3. *Noteworthy Books for Children and Teens — Capitol Choices
   

4. *2011 ALSC Notable Nominee
   

5. *Best Books for 2010 — Children’s Book Compass
   

6. *2011 Best Books for School Librarians — Nassau, NY, Library System
   

7. *Narrative Nonfiction for Kids: A librarian’s book list of kid’s favorites — Yahoo
   

Articles & Interviews

Math Phobia, by Joseph D’Agnese—Cynsations Blog

The Birth of a Blockhead, by Joseph D’Agnese—I.N.K. Blog

Interview with Joseph D’Agnese—Gottabook Blog

Interview with Joseph D’Agnese—Sarah C. Campbell’s blog

Behind the Art of Blockhead—MacKids Blog

Register for my email list here.