Cleonardo: The Little Inventor

The first thing I noticed was the clever use of family names in the portraits of Cleonardo’s home. Neandernardo, Sapphonardo, Magellanardo and of course, Leonardo, Cleo’s grandfather. Such a cute little detail in these beautiful illustrations inspired by the sketches and inventions of Leonardo Da Vinci.

This is a sweet story of a father and daughter coming to terms with the best ways of spending time together. Cleo wants to help her father with his inventions, but he is busy creating something fantastic for the coming fair. Ultimately, Cleo feels like she is in the way and goes off on her own to create her own fantastic inventions with the help of her doting grandfather and senior inventor, Leonardo.

As the father and daughter work separately, they begin to realize they would make a better team if they worked together instead. While the illustrations are superb, the story falls a little flat in some areas.

Overall, The Little Inventor is a great story for a father and his young daughter to share together. I would imagine the story could open the doors for parents and children to discuss their own ways of spending more time together.

With its beautiful illustrations and steam-punk style inventions, reminiscent of the great Renaissance artist and inventor, The Little Inventor will be a wonderful addition to your child’s library