About
Jack and Annie visit Leonardo da Vinci in Italy and help him for a day.
Read one section at a time, then discuss the questions to review understanding. These questions are a starting place for conversation, not a complete test of the chapter.
Chapter 1
Comprehension questions
Who were Jack and Annie going to visit on this adventure?
Page 7 — Leonardo da Vinci
7
What do they need to do with da Vinci?
Page 8 — Spend the day with him
8
What are the rules of the Dianthus Wand?
Page 9 — Use it for the good of others, use it after you’ve tried your hardest, use it with a command of five words
9
What did Jack and Annie hear in the distance as the tree house took them away?
Page 10 — School bell
10
Chapter 2
Comprehension questions
Where does Leonardo da Vinci live?
Page 13 — Florence, Italy
13
Why did Jack and Annie use the wand to find Leonardo?
Page 20 — they’d done everything they could to find him already
20
Why shouldn’t Annie have let the bird free?
Page 23 — It wasn’t hers
23
Who came to rescue Annie and Jack from the trouble they were in?
Page 24 — Leonardo
24
Chapter 3
Comprehension questions
How does Leonardo feel about birds?
Page 26 — Likes to set them free as well, wants to be one
26
What’s Leonardo’s secret to happiness?
Page 29 — Fame
29
Why does Leonardo want Jack and Annie to look at the clouds?
Page 35 — To show them the art in the world around them
35
Why is it important for Leonardo to look at the world around him?
Page 36 — That’s how he gets his ideas for his paintings
36
Chapter 4
Comprehension questions
What’s a fresco?
Page 38 — A work of art painted on a wall
38
What’s Leonardo’s fresco of?
Page 42 — Battle scene from long ago defending Florence
42
What was Leonardo going to try to help his paints dry?
Page 44 — Using fire to heat them up
44
What did the heat do to the fresco?
Page 46 — Made it drip
46
Chapter 5
Comprehension questions
How did the painting look after the fires?
Page 50 — Blur of streaks and blotches, terrible
50
How did Leonardo respond to the ruined painting?
Page 53 — Upset, wanted to leave Florence
53
Why do Jack and Annie follow Leonardo and find excuses to be with him?
They need to spend the day with him. 50
What does Leonardo think people will do when they see the ruined painting?
Page 54 — Laugh at him, mock him
54
Chapter 6
Comprehension questions
What does Michelangelo think about Leonardo?
Page 57 — never finishes anything
57
What are some reasons why Leonardo doesn’t finish anything?
Page 58 — Experiments with things that don’t work, he has too many ideas
58
Why does Leonardo write backwards?
Page 62 — He’s left handed and doesn’t smear the ink
62
Why does Leonardo feel like Jack and Annie have been sent to him as a sign?
Page 66 — He’s been fearful of testing an idea, but now he’s got courage
66
Chapter 7
Comprehension questions
What’s the Great Bird Leonardo wanted to show Jack and Annie?
Page 71 — An invention to help him fly
71
What did Leonardo say was broken when the Great Bird didn’t work?
Page 75 — His heart
75
Why would his heart be broken?
Page 75 — He’s sad it failed, always feels like he’s failing and that his inventions don’t work
75
What did Annie want to do for Leonardo to help him feel better?
Page 77 — Make him fly
77
Chapter 8
Comprehension questions
What did Annie do to make them fly like birds?
Page 79 — Used the wand, turned their arms into wings
79
Now that he’d really flown like a bird, what did Leonardo realize he was missing in his inventions to fly like a bird?
Page 86 — The spirit of a bird.
86
What did Leonardo realize about fame?
Page 87 — He didn’t need it to be happy.
87
Why was a woman waiting for Leonardo back in his studio?
Page 87 — He was painting her.
87
Chapter 9
Comprehension questions
How long has the woman been posing for Leonardo?
Page 91 — three years
91
What did Leonardo realize was the secret to happiness?
Page 95 — Curiosity/ asking questions
95
Why was Lisa mad at Leonardo?
Page 98 — she’s worried he’s going to finish the painting and forget about her
98
What type of bird told Jack and Annie they needed to go back home?
Page 100 — Nightingale
100
Chapter 10
Comprehension questions
What picture did Jack find in the resource book about Lisa?
Page 103 — Mona Lisa
103
What does the Italian word mona mean?
Page 103 — My lady in Italian.
103
What did Jack and Annie bring back from Leonardo that will help them remember him?
Page 105 — Drawing of the girl/ angel
105
Now that Jack realized how fun asking questions is, how does he feel about going to school?
Page 106 — Not nervous anymore, excited to get the answers to his question
106
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Worksheets
Practice sheets with space to write your answers.
Download one reading section
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