Nonfiction / Biography and Autobiography

Michelangelo
By Diane Stanley

Michelangelo, by Diane Stanley, is a great biography based on the life one of the most infamous artists in history. Stanley does a wonderful job depicting Michelangelo’s life. She begins with his birth on March 6, 1475. He was the second son and was born Michelangelo di Lodovico di Lionardo di Buonarroti Simoni, however, he is known as simply, Michelangelo. The reader learns about his “baby years,” as Stanley calls them, and his teenage years. Michelangelo was enrolled in a grammar school where he learned reading, penmanship, and Latin. All of the subjects he learned were meant to prepare him for life as a gentleman; however, Michelangelo had plans of his own! He constantly drew on scrap pieces of paper or anything else that was around. Diane Stanley does a great job talking about his work at the Sistine Chapel. She explains how the ceiling was 5800 square feet and it took him four years to complete, painting every waking hour, 60 feet in the air. After Michelangelo completed the Sistine Chapel he became more confident and bold with his work. Michelangelo died at the age of 89, but his masterpieces will certainly live on! I think this book would be great to use in the elementary classroom, especially if students are studying famous artists. Sometimes biographies may not be super interesting for students, however, Stanley writes in such a way that makes his life story interesting and real. I also value how she uses pieces of his work in the book, I think students would appreciate and enjoy reading about his life!