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  • Blockhead: The Life of Fibonacci
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Blockhead: The Life of Fibonacci

4.7 out of 5 stars (246)

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Breaking News: In April 2015 Blockhead was named a Mathical Honor 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 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!
Discover teachers' picks. Discover%20teachers%27%20picks.

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Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

Grade 2–5—Leonardo does his math problems so quickly that he has plenty of time to look out the window and count other things in nature. His teacher, however, chastises him for daydreaming and the other students call him a "blockhead." Only his father's advisor, Alfredo, understands that Leonardo has a fascination with numbers, a love that will eventually help him become the "greatest Western mathematician in the Middle Ages." As an adult, Fibonacci imagines the figure of Alfredo continuing to help him refine his theories. Although the book is presented as a biography, the author states that "little is known about the life of…Leonardo Fibonacci" and no sources are listed. Entertaining in the vein of the "You Wouldn't Want to Be" series, this lighthearted introduction to Fibonacci's ideas will inspire young math lovers and perhaps point them toward more scholarly explorations. The illustrations have a medieval look to them but without any stiffness or fussiness. They include many touches of humor and are well suited to the story. Painted with a broad pointillist style detailed with pen and ink, the pictures incorporate many visual references to Fibonacci's work, such as swirling features suggestive of the spiral, a key element in the mathematician's theories of nature.—Lucinda Snyder Whitehurst, St. Christopher's School, Richmond, VA
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

From Booklist

Though written in a modern idiom (“‘Yuck,’ I thought. ‘Who wants to be a merchant?’”), 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. O’Brien’s illustrations place the prosperously dressed, woolly headed savant in his native Pisa and other settings, contemplating flowers, seashells, and the so-called arabic numerals (which he promoted vigorously and rightly ascribes to India), as well as presenting a visual solution to his most famous mathematical word problem. Closing with a page of relevant activities for young naturalists, this picture book makes an excellent alternative to Joy N. Hulme’s colorful but flawed Wild Fibonacci: Nature’s Secret Code Revealed, illustrated by Carol Schwartz (2005). Grades 3-5. --John Peters

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)
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.7 out of 5 stars (246)

About the author

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Joseph D'Agnese
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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

4.7 out of 5 stars
246 global ratings

Customers say

Customers find this Fibonacci biography book engaging, with great illustrations and a well-told story. Moreover, they appreciate its age-appropriate content, with one customer noting it's suitable for children of all ages, and another mentioning it serves as a good introduction for 5-year-olds. Additionally, they enjoy its entertainment value, with one review highlighting how it works well for STEM units.
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23 customers mention content, 23 positive, 0 negative
Customers appreciate the content of the book, describing it as wonderful and suitable for young readers, with one customer noting how it effectively illuminates mathematical concepts.
...I love to read about Fibonacci and loved this rendition. Great book!Read more
Loved reading this book with my 6 year old....Read more
...But here goes: I really enjoyed the book....Read more
...to read and complex ideas that changed the world.........a book for ALL to read!Read more
10 customers mention illustrations, 10 positive, 0 negative
Customers appreciate the illustrations in the book, with one noting how they effectively depict Fibonacci's life and times.
...Both of them love math. This is a beautifully illustrated book about "medieval Europe's greatest mathematician." I have my own copy of...Read more
...The illustrations are superb. There are hidden sequences, spirals, and symbols to find throughout the book....Read more
...Great illustrations!Read more
...It was just a good, well-told story, beautifully illustrated....Read more
9 customers mention entertaining, 8 positive, 1 negative
Customers find the book entertaining, with one mentioning it serves as a fun introduction to Fibonacci, while another notes it's enjoyable for both children and adults.
My son loved this book! A 5th grader, he found this very interesting! We loved reading it together.Read more
...The book is fun for little and big alike... It's been read by every one from six years old to seventy in our house. The ideas never grow old.Read more
...This book is an entertaining vehicle to introduce a young person in your life to mathematics.Read more
Enjoyed reading it with grandson who is 8. Nicely illustrated children's book.Read more
9 customers mention story, 9 positive, 0 negative
Customers enjoy the story of Fibonacci, with one mentioning how it introduces mathematical concepts through a narrative format.
This is a cute story with nice pictures which reward close observation....Read more
Good story. Wish it wasn’t actually called blockhead, bec the kids now use that word a lot. Definitely not good for children who are 2-3.Read more
...It was just a good, well-told story, beautifully illustrated....Read more
...There is a clear story line and the illustrations are beautifully intricate....Read more
7 customers mention age-appropriate, 6 positive, 1 negative
Customers find the book age-appropriate, with one mentioning it serves as a great introduction for 5-year-olds, while another notes it's an excellent mathematical story for children of all ages.
...The book is written in first person voice so it helps the reader relate to this remarkable renaissance hero. The illustrations are superb....Read more
Great intro for a 5 year old to the man and the math theory...I looked at several other books and found this one most appropriate for the 5-7 yr old...Read more
my dear Fibonacci for kids... my grandson (5) calls it his book of life :) I love how it explains the way numbers and the universe dance together....Read more
This is a supplemental book for my homeschooling grandsons. I love to read about Fibonacci and loved this rendition. Great book!Read more
Great story!
4 out of 5 stars
Great story!
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.
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Top reviews from the United States

  • 5 out of 5 stars
    Prepare to be amazed
    Reviewed in the United States on February 13, 2012
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    This 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 helpful
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  • 5 out of 5 stars
    Fall in love with math at an early age
    Reviewed in the United States on February 7, 2017
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    I 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 helpful
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  • 5 out of 5 stars
    Is Your Child a Mathematician?
    Reviewed in the United States on July 21, 2013
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    A 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 helpful
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  • 4 out of 5 stars
    Great story!
    Reviewed in the United States on March 19, 2024
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    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.

    Great story!
    4 out of 5 stars
    Great story!
    Reviewed in the United States on March 19, 2024

    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 helpful
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  • 5 out of 5 stars
    Romance of Numbers for all Ages
    Reviewed in the United States on January 3, 2016
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    Excellent 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 helpful
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  • 5 out of 5 stars
    Any math lover will be thrilled with this story!
    Reviewed in the United States on October 23, 2019
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    My 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 helpful
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  • 5 out of 5 stars
    Geat book for young math/science minds
    Reviewed in the United States on September 5, 2022
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    I 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 helpful
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  • 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, 2016
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    I 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 helpful
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Top reviews from other countries

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  • 5 out of 5 stars
    genial
    Reviewed in Spain on November 3, 2020
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    He 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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  • 5 out of 5 stars
    Wonderful true story about Fibonacci
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on January 25, 2016
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    Wonderful 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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  • 4 out of 5 stars
    Thank you
    Reviewed in India on August 17, 2019
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  • 5 out of 5 stars
    A Great Book -with a multicultural approach
    Reviewed in Canada on October 27, 2018
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    This 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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  • 4 out of 5 stars
    Blockhead
    Reviewed in France on December 31, 2024
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    Bref et interessant

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