Blockhead: the life of Fibonacci by Joseph D'Agnese, illustrated by John O'Brien, Henry Holt and Co., 2010, ISBN 978-0-8050-6305-9
From the book jacket: "As a young boy in medieval Itlay, Leonardo Fibonacci thought about numbers day and night. He was such a daydreamer that people called him blockhead. When he grew up and traveled the world, he was inspired by the numbers used in different countries, especially the Hindu-Arabic numerals he learned about in Africa. Then he realized that many things in nature 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! Today he is famous for his simple word problem about multiplying rabbits and is now considered one of the greatest Western mathematicians of all time."
This is an absolutely fascinating book, if only in the fact that something that seems so complicated can be so SIMPLE! And to think that Nature follows a pattern!!! I cannot wait to share this with my 4th graders. I have looked into the subject further and found some books that will compliment the study. These will be posted as soon as I get my hands on them!!
It doesn't surprise me that this book has its own website and its own Facebook page! The possibilities introduced by this man and his idea are endless! So exciting!
No comments:
Post a Comment