MICHELANGELO

1. BIBLIOGRAPHY
Stanley, Diane. 2000. MICHELANGELO. New York: HarperCollins Publishers. ISBN 06880150853

2. PLOT SUMMARY
When Michelangelo was born, it was unlikely he would become a great artist. However, through a series of fortunate events he was placed in the care of people who would foster his talents. From a stonecutter who inspired his love of sculpture to the Medici family who provided his formal education, Michelangelo was given great opportunity in the world of art. In his twenties, his Pieta and David caught the eye of many quickly making him the most popular sculptor in Italy. After that, unfortunately, most of his life he was forced to do work he largely distained for the Vatican such as painting the Sistine Chapel. His last duty was designing Saint Peter's Cathedral. He passed away in the middle of its construction.

3. CRITICAL ANALYSIS
Stanley is a favorite author in the realm of children's nonfiction books. In the opening her book, she establishes credibility for MICHELANGELO by giving thanks to a Haravard professor who assisted her compilation. The work includes a bibliography at the end where all the sources of information used can be found.

The book's layout follows the natural chronological sequence of events. Although lacking specific reference aids, the text is broken up with illustrations and symbols making it easy to navigate. The illustrations are instrumental in clarifying the text as they allow readers to see the art created by Michelangelo as well as the places he worked. Having one picture per page, the illustrations provide the reader with a way to focus on the more important events given that Michelangelo's life was very complex.

Stanley treats her audience as young scholars writing a book that provides an in depth and thorough perspective of Michelangelo's life. Her vocabulary is rich and style mature.

In my opinion, this biography should only be read by accelerated readers who are in 4th grade or above. I strongly disagree with the "8+" age level inside the cover. While the book is superb, it is important that the audience have a thorough understanding of the significance of the papacy during the 15th and 16th centuries in order to comprehend many of the events. I feel less advanced readers will easily become frustrated by the density of information and not be able to make the necessary connections.

4. AWARDS AND REVIEW EXCERPT(S)
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY: "There is no one like Stanley (Leonardo da Vinci; Joan of Arc) for picture-book biography as she brings to the genre an uncanny ability to clarify and compress dense and tricky historical matter, scrupulous attention to visual and verbal nuances, and a self-fulfilling faith in her readers' intelligence."
BOOKLIST: " But when it comes to Michelangelo's sculptures and paintings, Stanley does an interesting thing. Rather than trying to re-create them herself, she inserts actual images that were computer manipulated, using Adobe Photoshop. A few of the images are not as crisp as one might like, but seeing Michelangelo chiseling the statue of David makes for a surprising, effective bit of art."

5. CONNECTIONS
* Pull art books that show Michelangelo's masterpieces to share with students
* Teach a lesson about life in the 15th and 16th centuries, so students have a better understanding of the time period Michelangelo lived.
*Share other biographies by Diane Stanley
LEONARDO DA VINCI ISBN: 0688161553
JOAN OF ARC ISBN: 0064437485