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Blockhead: The Life of Fibonacci
Purchase options and add-ons
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 College -- Best Children's Book of the Year.
Blockhead has been translated into Japanese, Korean, Spanish and Catalan. Be sure to check for those editions of this title, if appropriate for your classroom!
- Reading age5 - 9 years, from customers
- Print length40 pages
- LanguageEnglish
- Grade level1 - 6
- Dimensions8.9 x 0.3 x 11.25 inches
- PublisherHenry Holt and Co. (BYR)
- Publication dateMarch 30, 2010
- ISBN-100805063056
- ISBN-13978-0805063059
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Editorial Reviews
From School Library Journal
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
From Booklist
Review
“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
About the Author
JOHN O'BRIEN is lieutenant lifeguard on the Jersey shore and has been dedicated to beaches and beach safety for the past thirty-five years. The illustrator of many popular children's books-including This Is Baseball, This Is Figure Skating, and This Is Soccer-he divides his time between the Jersey shore and Miami, Florida.
Product details
- Publisher : Henry Holt and Co. (BYR)
- Publication date : March 30, 2010
- Edition : First Edition
- Language : English
- Print length : 40 pages
- ISBN-10 : 0805063056
- ISBN-13 : 978-0805063059
- Item Weight : 2.31 pounds
- Reading age : 5 - 9 years, from customers
- Dimensions : 8.9 x 0.3 x 11.25 inches
- Grade level : 1 - 6
- Best Sellers Rank: #302,295 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #272 in Children's Science & Technology Biographies
- #1,343 in Children's Math Books (Books)
- Customer Reviews:
About the author

Joseph D’Agnese is a journalist and author who has written for children and adults alike. He’s been published in the New York Times, the Wall Street Journal, Wired, Discover, and other national publications.
In a career spanning more than twenty years, his work has been honored with awards in three vastly different areas—science journalism, children’s literature, and mystery fiction.
His science articles have twice appeared in the anthology Best American Science Writing.
His children’s book, Blockhead: The Life of Fibonacci, was an honoree for the Mathical Book Prize—the first-ever prize for math-themed children’s books.
One of his crime stories won the 2015 Derringer Award for short mystery fiction. Another of his stories was selected by mega-bestselling author James Patterson for inclusion in the prestigious annual anthology, Best American Mystery Stories 2015.
D’Agnese’s crime fiction has appeared in Ellery Queen’s Mystery Magazine, Alfred Hitchcock’s Mystery Magazine, and many others.
D’Agnese lives in North Carolina with his wife, the New York Times bestselling author Denise Kiernan (The Girls of Atomic City).
Customer reviews
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Reviews with images
Great story!
Top reviews from the United States
- 5 out of 5 stars
Prepare to be amazed
Reviewed in the United States on February 13, 2012This is a fun book to introduce Fibonacci (Leonardo Pisano). It is a must have for Artists, Biologists, Mathematicians, Architects, Physicists, Astronomers, heck you can connect Fibonacci numbers to almost everything.
The book is written in first person voice so it helps the reader relate to this remarkable renaissance hero. The illustrations are superb. There are hidden sequences, spirals, and symbols to find throughout the book. Best of all, this book encourages readers to see our world in a totally new perspective. Thanks Mr. D'Agnese and Mr. O'Brien!
12 people found this helpfulSending feedback...Sending feedback...HelpfulThank you for your feedback.Sorry, we failed to record your vote. Please try againThanks, we'll investigate in the next few days.Sorry, We failed to report this review. Please try again - 5 out of 5 stars
Fall in love with math at an early age
Reviewed in the United States on February 7, 2017I bought "Blockhead" for my grandson who was eight years old at the time. I bought another copy for my granddaughter who is seven. Both of them love math. This is a beautifully illustrated book about "medieval Europe's greatest mathematician." I have my own copy of the book, and I look at it and read it often. I can't get over how gorgeous the illustrations are and how much there is to see in the pictures.
Good companion books are "Swirl by Swirl: Spirals in Nature" by Joyce Sidman and "The Rabbit Problem" by Emily Gravett.
I highly recommend the "Bedtime Math" books for children. My grandchildren also love those. Children answer the questions by thinking about them instead of using paper and pencil.
34 people found this helpfulSending feedback...Sending feedback...HelpfulThank you for your feedback.Sorry, we failed to record your vote. Please try againThanks, we'll investigate in the next few days.Sorry, We failed to report this review. Please try again - 5 out of 5 stars
Is Your Child a Mathematician?
Reviewed in the United States on July 21, 2013A retired person should not rate a book written for seven- and eight-year-olds. But here goes: I really enjoyed the book. The story of Fibonacci starts in his childhood and explains that his peers and the adults in his life didn't understand him because he was always counting things and looking for patterns in nature around Pisa. The illustrations aptly show his life and times and illuminate concepts in the book, even the rabbits. This book is an entertaining vehicle to introduce a young person in your life to mathematics.
3 people found this helpfulSending feedback...Sending feedback...HelpfulThank you for your feedback.Sorry, we failed to record your vote. Please try againThanks, we'll investigate in the next few days.Sorry, We failed to report this review. Please try again - 4 out of 5 stars
Great story!
Reviewed in the United States on March 19, 2024Loved reading this book with my 6 year old. But since we give God the credit for this amazing feature of creation and not Mother Nature, I did mark out a few words.

Loved reading this book with my 6 year old. But since we give God the credit for this amazing feature of creation and not Mother Nature, I did mark out a few words.
18 people found this helpfulSending feedback...Sending feedback...HelpfulThank you for your feedback.Sorry, we failed to record your vote. Please try againThanks, we'll investigate in the next few days.Sorry, We failed to report this review. Please try again - 5 out of 5 stars
Romance of Numbers for all Ages
Reviewed in the United States on January 3, 2016Excellent presentation of Fibonacci and his wonderful mind for math.
I think that it will help younger children to feel "close" to numbers, to arithmetic,
and help them to see that there is a lot of room for creativity and wonder
in the world of Mathematics. Children who are synesthetics or who have
a fear of math, of being wrong in calculations, might really love this book.
Now I am old, a grandmother, and had anxiety about math as a child.
I saw numbers (and letters, words, music) in colors.... I was fearful of
numbers.... If I had this book, I might have felt differently!
9 people found this helpfulSending feedback...Sending feedback...HelpfulThank you for your feedback.Sorry, we failed to record your vote. Please try againThanks, we'll investigate in the next few days.Sorry, We failed to report this review. Please try again - 5 out of 5 stars
Any math lover will be thrilled with this story!
Reviewed in the United States on October 23, 2019My daughter is a Fibonacci NUT! She could not have been more excited when I gave her this book as a present! I love it as it actually has a problem in the story that she was able to 'solve' with her little brother before turning the page and seeing how he explained it. Great illustrations!
2 people found this helpfulSending feedback...Sending feedback...HelpfulThank you for your feedback.Sorry, we failed to record your vote. Please try againThanks, we'll investigate in the next few days.Sorry, We failed to report this review. Please try again - 5 out of 5 stars
Geat book for young math/science minds
Reviewed in the United States on September 5, 2022I bought this to introduce math/science history to my grandson. The Fibonacci sequence is an amazing discovery for science and a great math concept for young minds.
This is well presented and a very nice hard cover book.
2 people found this helpfulSending feedback...Sending feedback...HelpfulThank you for your feedback.Sorry, we failed to record your vote. Please try againThanks, we'll investigate in the next few days.Sorry, We failed to report this review. Please try again - 5 out of 5 stars
I used to read a lot of biographies of the great mathematicians. It gave me passion when reading those ...
Reviewed in the United States on April 18, 2016I bought this book to stimulate my daughter's interest in mathematics. I was probably more interested in reading it than my daughter. This is a well written biography suitable for 5-9 years old. It came with the math puzzle of counting rabbits, which lead to discovery of Fibonacci number. As a math major in college, I used to read a lot of biographies of the great mathematicians. It gave me passion when reading those smart brains' stories. I hope to see more of such books for kids.
11 people found this helpfulSending feedback...Sending feedback...HelpfulThank you for your feedback.Sorry, we failed to record your vote. Please try againThanks, we'll investigate in the next few days.Sorry, We failed to report this review. Please try again
Top reviews from other countries
Natasha P.5 out of 5 starsgenial
Reviewed in Spain on November 3, 2020He comprado este libro para alumnos de 6 años que están preparados para un reto en matemáticas. Lo hemos leído juntos, hablado de continentes(algo que habían estudiado), los 'Roman numerals' y por supuesto, la secuencia - la parte más emocionante ya que estaban muy motivados. Un libro ideal porque al final del libro, ofrece algunos retos (búsquedas dentro del libro) y también porque ha abierto la puerta al tema de 'Fibonacci in Nature', dado que habla un poco sobre las flores y sus pétalos (de distintos números). ¡Fascinante!
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steph5 out of 5 starsWonderful true story about Fibonacci
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on January 25, 2016Wonderful true story about Fibonacci, maths and being yourself despite others ignorant opinions that try to put you down. God's creation is a truly amazing thing that is also something to ponder on too!
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Radha4 out of 5 starsThank you
Reviewed in India on August 17, 2019Nice book
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Rubia5 out of 5 starsA Great Book -with a multicultural approach
Reviewed in Canada on October 27, 2018This is a great book about the famed mathematician Fibonacci. If you have a math or science lover in your household, it is highly recommended. Well written with a multicultural approach as the author gives credence to Hindu and Islamic scholars for their far superior contributions to math (which were very advanced in comparison to Europeans). We need more children's books written from a global perspective.
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grosjean michel4 out of 5 starsBlockhead
Reviewed in France on December 31, 2024Bref et interessant
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