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Anatomy
Nature Anatomy: The Curious Parts and Pieces of the Natural World
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See the world in a new way! Acclaimed illustrator Julia Rothman celebrates the diverse curiosities and beauty of the natural world in this exciting new volume. With whimsically hip illustrations, every page is an extraordinary look at all kinds of subjects, from mineral formation and the inside of a volcano to what makes sunsets, monarch butterfly migration, the ecosystem of a rotting log, the parts of a bird, the anatomy of a jellyfish, and much, much more.
224 pages, Kindle Edition
First published October 21, 2014
149 people are currently reading
4362 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 274 reviews
December 30, 2015
Can you put aside your adult self for a little while and get back in touch with your 8 to 12 year old self? Remember that fascination with the world around you? Remember being blown away by things you learned every day in Science class? Reading this book was kinda like that.
It is an illustrated guide of the natural (mostly North American) world, and the art is colorful and whimsical. If you are looking for an in depth scientific discourse look elsewhere, but if you are interested in reawakening that wonder you felt as a kid, get a copy of this one, and share it with kids, and other nature lovers in your circles.
I loved this book. Not only did it make me want to get outside with my sketch book and art supplies, but I learned things I did not know, and recalled with delight things I once did. This lovely book interweaves art and science, and reminds us about the wonders of the natural world, whether in large national parks, or small potted gardens.
It is an illustrated guide of the natural (mostly North American) world, and the art is colorful and whimsical. If you are looking for an in depth scientific discourse look elsewhere, but if you are interested in reawakening that wonder you felt as a kid, get a copy of this one, and share it with kids, and other nature lovers in your circles.
I loved this book. Not only did it make me want to get outside with my sketch book and art supplies, but I learned things I did not know, and recalled with delight things I once did. This lovely book interweaves art and science, and reminds us about the wonders of the natural world, whether in large national parks, or small potted gardens.
March 12, 2019
An impressive follow-up to her Farm Anatomy: Curious Parts and Pieces of Country Life. This time she tackles the natural world and as a visual record it is wonderful. Ferns, salamanders, birds, mushrooms, mountains- the illustrations and facts about nature are enchanting.
Recommended.
Recommended.
April 28, 2020
REVIEW OF THE KINDLE EDITION
While I indeed was (at least originally, at least at first) very much looking forward to Julia Rothman's Nature Anatomy: The Curious Parts and Pieces of the Natural World, with my ageing eyes and my from this resulting issues to increasingly have rather massive visual issues with printed cursive writing of whatever size and thickness (and indeed even with hand-written cursive writing, as I increasingly am also having trouble reading and deciphering what I myself have penned) I have totally and utterly NOT been able to read the presented text of Nature Anatomy: The Curious Parts and Pieces of the Natural World with any and all kind of ease (and yes, with the majority of Julia Rothman's written words actually and generally escaping me meaning wise, with me having to constantly approximate and guess what in fact most of the words I have encountered in Nature Anatomy: The Curious Parts and Pieces of the Natural World mean, what they indeed want to and have to say).
And albeit that what I have actually been able to adequately decipher whilst reading (or rather whilst attempting to read I should say) Nature Anatomy: The Curious Parts and Pieces of the Natural World has certainly been interesting, educational and enlightening enough in and of itself (although I personally was definitely also expecting considerably more narrative, more explanatory analysis and definitely less illustrations, since I certainly downloaded Nature Anatomy: The Curious Parts and Pieces of the Natural World as an informational resource guide on the natural world and was actually not really expecting a picture book), the fact that I ended up with a massive and all encompassing eyestrain induced tension headache last night and that I was forced to skim, to guess and to continuously be guessing what the impossible to easily read cursive writing font was attempting to present, this has most definitely and lastingly, utterly and totally soured me on this book, has absolutely made me only consider but one star at best for Nature Anatomy: The Curious Parts and Pieces of the Natural World (and to not at ALL consider in any manner ever recommending this book for ANYONE with vision or with visual tracking issues).
While I indeed was (at least originally, at least at first) very much looking forward to Julia Rothman's Nature Anatomy: The Curious Parts and Pieces of the Natural World, with my ageing eyes and my from this resulting issues to increasingly have rather massive visual issues with printed cursive writing of whatever size and thickness (and indeed even with hand-written cursive writing, as I increasingly am also having trouble reading and deciphering what I myself have penned) I have totally and utterly NOT been able to read the presented text of Nature Anatomy: The Curious Parts and Pieces of the Natural World with any and all kind of ease (and yes, with the majority of Julia Rothman's written words actually and generally escaping me meaning wise, with me having to constantly approximate and guess what in fact most of the words I have encountered in Nature Anatomy: The Curious Parts and Pieces of the Natural World mean, what they indeed want to and have to say).
And albeit that what I have actually been able to adequately decipher whilst reading (or rather whilst attempting to read I should say) Nature Anatomy: The Curious Parts and Pieces of the Natural World has certainly been interesting, educational and enlightening enough in and of itself (although I personally was definitely also expecting considerably more narrative, more explanatory analysis and definitely less illustrations, since I certainly downloaded Nature Anatomy: The Curious Parts and Pieces of the Natural World as an informational resource guide on the natural world and was actually not really expecting a picture book), the fact that I ended up with a massive and all encompassing eyestrain induced tension headache last night and that I was forced to skim, to guess and to continuously be guessing what the impossible to easily read cursive writing font was attempting to present, this has most definitely and lastingly, utterly and totally soured me on this book, has absolutely made me only consider but one star at best for Nature Anatomy: The Curious Parts and Pieces of the Natural World (and to not at ALL consider in any manner ever recommending this book for ANYONE with vision or with visual tracking issues).
April 20, 2024
Borrowed from the library for my own use, this book was hijacked by our resident preschooler, who carried it around for days (weeks), poring over its illustrations and pleading for it to be read to her. While mirthfully complying, it occurred to me that it's probably the only feasible way for me to have accomplished the perusal of it in time to return it punctually anyway.
Aside from the odd introduction, which I didn't care for, and an occasional reference to an evolutionary perspective, we greatly enjoyed this book and have found it to be engaging and fascinating. Sort of a nature primer, there's something for everyone here, with a wide range of topics and tidbits of interesting facts sprinkled in amongst the paintings.
My little nature enthusiast decidedly loves best the pages with the bird calls and the bats. 🤷♀️ She carries this book around in her little green tote bag, even to Grandma's house, to share the bats with her. 😂 We may need to purchase this one.
Aside from the odd introduction, which I didn't care for, and an occasional reference to an evolutionary perspective, we greatly enjoyed this book and have found it to be engaging and fascinating. Sort of a nature primer, there's something for everyone here, with a wide range of topics and tidbits of interesting facts sprinkled in amongst the paintings.
My little nature enthusiast decidedly loves best the pages with the bird calls and the bats. 🤷♀️ She carries this book around in her little green tote bag, even to Grandma's house, to share the bats with her. 😂 We may need to purchase this one.
January 24, 2017
This book is like looking into someone's nature journal. It is so beautifully done and informative! We enjoyed reading about the butterflies and tidal pools in order to prepare for our field trip to S.B....krb 1/24/17
July 1, 2017
BEST BEST BEST ❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️
August 9, 2021
A very broad subject packed into one book. The art is so beautiful. I can see a young person enjoying this book and learning about the world around them.
July 6, 2017
So pretty and informative but I wondered where she gathered her information. The bibliography was minimal.
July 18, 2017
The illustrations as type in this book about beautiful. I bought it before going on a camping trip this summer and it was the perfect book to peruse on the way up and during down time.
April 26, 2025
Okul çağında ve doğaya meraklı çocukların çok seveceğini düşündüğüm bir kitap. Ben okuyup incelerken 4 yaşındaki kızımın da dikkatini çekti görselleri. Serinin diğer kitaplarını da merak ediyorum.
September 12, 2018
I recently read Farm Anatomy: Curious Parts and Pieces of Country Life, and since I enjoyed that one so much, I decided to also get Nature Anatomy from the library.
Nature Anatomy was even better! It has the same beautiful artwork, but with a wider range of topics (which makes sense, since the natural world is so vast and varied). Much like Farm Anatomy, Nature Anatomy is about 60% illustration and 40% text, but the information in this book is more dense (and thus, more interesting).
I marked Farm Anatomy as something that would be interesting for all ages. Nature Anatomy is more...well, it would still be *interesting* for all ages, but perhaps a bit too difficult for younger readers. The information is not too complex, but there are some pages that require a bigger vocabulary to understand. I would say, maybe age ~12 to adult? (Adjust for individual reading level.)
To give you an idea, here's a quote from the page on fossils: "The chances of an organism's being preserved as a fossil are very small. For a fossil to form, the organism must be covered in sediment shortly after its death. Then, water with high mineral content enters the small pores and cavities of the organism. With time and pressure, the minerals in the water are deposited into the structure of the organism and solidify, leaving behind a three-dimensional fossil."
But that's only in some sections. The majority of the book uses simpler language. One of my favorite notes from the bird section: "Cedar Waxwing flocks have been known to line up on a branch and pass berries down the line, beak to beak, until every bird has been fed."
And did you know that between a bee's two compound eyes, there are also three simple eyes, which they use to see in low-light conditions in the hive? Or that the only animal that eats skunks is the Great Horned Owl, which has no sense of smell? (Well, that makes sense, but it's still funny.)
There are tons of fascinating facts in this book, with topics including: landforms, weather, flowers, bugs, trees, wild animals, birds, fish and sea life.
There's even a page on what the different shapes of snowflakes are called, with an explanation of why they come out different. "A snowflake's shape is determined by temperature and humidity. Each falling snowflake travels a unique path through many different microclimates, resulting in a different shaped arrangement of crystals." Pretty cool, huh?
Nature Anatomy was even better! It has the same beautiful artwork, but with a wider range of topics (which makes sense, since the natural world is so vast and varied). Much like Farm Anatomy, Nature Anatomy is about 60% illustration and 40% text, but the information in this book is more dense (and thus, more interesting).
I marked Farm Anatomy as something that would be interesting for all ages. Nature Anatomy is more...well, it would still be *interesting* for all ages, but perhaps a bit too difficult for younger readers. The information is not too complex, but there are some pages that require a bigger vocabulary to understand. I would say, maybe age ~12 to adult? (Adjust for individual reading level.)
To give you an idea, here's a quote from the page on fossils: "The chances of an organism's being preserved as a fossil are very small. For a fossil to form, the organism must be covered in sediment shortly after its death. Then, water with high mineral content enters the small pores and cavities of the organism. With time and pressure, the minerals in the water are deposited into the structure of the organism and solidify, leaving behind a three-dimensional fossil."
But that's only in some sections. The majority of the book uses simpler language. One of my favorite notes from the bird section: "Cedar Waxwing flocks have been known to line up on a branch and pass berries down the line, beak to beak, until every bird has been fed."
And did you know that between a bee's two compound eyes, there are also three simple eyes, which they use to see in low-light conditions in the hive? Or that the only animal that eats skunks is the Great Horned Owl, which has no sense of smell? (Well, that makes sense, but it's still funny.)
There are tons of fascinating facts in this book, with topics including: landforms, weather, flowers, bugs, trees, wild animals, birds, fish and sea life.
There's even a page on what the different shapes of snowflakes are called, with an explanation of why they come out different. "A snowflake's shape is determined by temperature and humidity. Each falling snowflake travels a unique path through many different microclimates, resulting in a different shaped arrangement of crystals." Pretty cool, huh?
August 4, 2020
Beautifully written and illustrated. There is not so much a scientific guide that gives one information about individual creatures, but a book filled with fun facts and beautiful illustrations that were painted with gouache. This is a book that should be rewritten in a kids format, in which I would certainly buy for all the little tykes in my life teaching them about the natural world and conservation. Overall I highly recommend reading (more of a picture book however) and enjoy the wide variety of great topics (clouds, stars, along with land and marine life) that Julia Rothman beautifully illustrated.
May 18, 2021
This book covered an overview on many different studies of nature. Nothing was too in-depth but the beautiful illustrations are eye catching and may tempt you to discover more about a certain subject. The information the author included with each graphic varied drastically, and a large portion of the text was in a hand written cursive font. That font wasn’t always easy to read and was inconsistent. If you can’t read cursive, find another resource!
November 25, 2019
Another wonderful book by the author.
Lovely lovely illustrations. Which we loved.
Again a book to be used as a reference (there is a lot of illustrated facts just not written ones for older kids), for older kids it can be used as part of a unit.
We looked at some of the pages from this and Farm Anatomy , enjoyed the sketch and talked about what we saw.
Lovely lovely illustrations. Which we loved.
Again a book to be used as a reference (there is a lot of illustrated facts just not written ones for older kids), for older kids it can be used as part of a unit.
We looked at some of the pages from this and Farm Anatomy , enjoyed the sketch and talked about what we saw.
June 18, 2020
The information by each illustration is short so I would consider this book a good introduction to everything that is related to nature. It's easy to read and you get a bit of information about everything (animals, the ecosystem, flowers, weather etc.) and the illustrations are beautiful! I would definitely recommend this if you're interested in nature, it's a good starter.
February 28, 2021
A great entry point to the planet, from rocks to the phases of the moon to flora and fauna. Illustrated beautifully, this is the perfect book I needed to get ideas about worldbuilding in my current project. It's by no means exhaustive, but rather a great sampling of earthlings that showcases the common elements and diversity of life all at once. Specific creatures as well as general life cycles, body schemes, habitats are showcased. Recommended as a broad overview to get ideas and introduce younger readers to the planet.
April 18, 2019
The illustrations are lovely. We looked at a few pages each lunch as part of our homeschool science. The factoids are interesting but were often far over my children’s heads. My four-year-old asked to read it again, though, so that is always a good sign!
November 8, 2020
I am going to purchase this book as well as Ocean Anatomy. I want to have them as a quick resource and I want to share them with my grandchildren to stimulate even more interest in the details of the natural world.
August 23, 2017
Pretty and pleasing to look at. I liked the diagrams with parts of a bird, a fern, etc. I wouldn't use this as an actual field guide though. And it felt a little TOO hipster
December 24, 2019
Un libro precioso con preciosas y muy didácticas ilustraciones que nos acerca a la naturaleza y a su maravillosa biodiversidad, con unas imágenes que desbordan tanta curiosidad por nuestro planeta como respeto y deseos de protegerla,como lo explica también en las notas sobre conservación al final del libro. Interesante y muy recomendable.
A beautiful book with beautiful and very didactic illustrations that brings us closer to nature and its wonderful biodiversity, with images that overflow as much curiosity about our planet as respect and desires to protect it, as also explained in the conservation notes at the end of the book . Interesting and highly recommended.
A beautiful book with beautiful and very didactic illustrations that brings us closer to nature and its wonderful biodiversity, with images that overflow as much curiosity about our planet as respect and desires to protect it, as also explained in the conservation notes at the end of the book . Interesting and highly recommended.
June 2, 2020
Such wonderful tidbits of information and beautiful illustrations. Loved it!!
April 14, 2021
I love this book so much! The art is so great. It communicates so many interesting ideas about nature. This is a rare book that is fun for both adults and kids.
September 8, 2019
A relaxing and educational read with fun, interesting tidbits about the world around me that I thought I knew.
January 10, 2024
There's something for everyone here -- sky, weather, plants, structure of the earth, waterways, animals.
Lots of miscellaneous facts. (The info on p 54 re sunsets & sunrises was new to me.)
p 181: The golden eagle 'fact' isn't one I would have chosen: "powerful enough to hunt young deer and other large mammals"
Introductory material.
The art supports the text. (I especially liked the page showing water birds (186-187.)
Lots of miscellaneous facts. (The info on p 54 re sunsets & sunrises was new to me.)
p 181: The golden eagle 'fact' isn't one I would have chosen: "powerful enough to hunt young deer and other large mammals"
Introductory material.
The art supports the text. (I especially liked the page showing water birds (186-187.)
May 19, 2025
My one year old loves the art
My 5 year old loves the art and the learning is kept short and to the point for her attention span
The 30 year old mom loves the art, the learning parts, and everything else about it too 😂
I actually read this on my own first because I couldn't put it down. I find this very rare for science books to be appealing to all ages.
My 5 year old loves the art and the learning is kept short and to the point for her attention span
The 30 year old mom loves the art, the learning parts, and everything else about it too 😂
I actually read this on my own first because I couldn't put it down. I find this very rare for science books to be appealing to all ages.
October 13, 2020
My favorite book about nature so far. My son has plenty of books about nature and animals but this was by far the best book we have read together. I learnt a lot from this book too so it is not just for kids. Beautiful illustrations and sketches.
February 21, 2024
Mostly focuses on North America. It’s like a middle school biology book, but with great art.
What I learned: A swamp has trees; a marsh does not. Sunsets are often more colorful than sunrises, because evening air is warmer and holds more particles. Moths can hear, but butterflies don’t have ears. If raccoons had thumbs, no food would be safe. The skunk’s primarily predator, the great horned owl, has no sense of smell. Sometimes birds let ants crawl into their feathers as a way to fight parasites. Salmon undergo a dramatic physical change when they return to fresh water to spawn. Frogs can mate for days.
What I learned: A swamp has trees; a marsh does not. Sunsets are often more colorful than sunrises, because evening air is warmer and holds more particles. Moths can hear, but butterflies don’t have ears. If raccoons had thumbs, no food would be safe. The skunk’s primarily predator, the great horned owl, has no sense of smell. Sometimes birds let ants crawl into their feathers as a way to fight parasites. Salmon undergo a dramatic physical change when they return to fresh water to spawn. Frogs can mate for days.
January 19, 2021
Lots of things I had learned in science classes but had forgotten, as well as a lot of other new and interesting facts, all brought to life with fun illustrations.
September 9, 2021
This book wasn't exactly what I wanted but it was still educational and the illustrations were cute. It's not something I would recommend and it won't be staying on my bookshelf.
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