Nature Did It First: Engineering Through Biomimicry

by Karen Rohrich Ansberry, Jennifer DiRubbio (Contributor)

** A 2021 Skipping Stones Honor Awards "Outstanding Nature and Ecology Book"** What child doesn't want to know how things work? Introduce a young reader in your life to how nature works and inspires innovation to help solve some of our toughest engineering challenges. This kid-friendly, beautiful introduction to biomimicry is half playful rhymes and half nonfiction, perfect for ages 5 and up.
Nature does it best ... and did it first! Explore the ways we have looked to nature for brilliant new designs and innovations to solve our own conundrums. Each example in nature is paired with a fun, rhyming description, an example of how it has been used by us, and a question to the reader―"what other problems can be solved?"
Learn fascinating examples of biomimicry, Back matter "The unique format of this book makes it both fun and educational." - Midwest Book Review

Genres: Stem, Picture Books, Science

32 pages, Paperback

Published May 1, 2020

Reviews

[Kathryn · Rating 3 out of 5]

Great starting point for early grades, but older readers will need something deeper. I felt like some of the connections between the nature inspiration and the man-made creation needed to be a bit stronger/more detailed.

[Jessica · Rating 3 out of 5]

The concept is great and I will definitely use it in my classroom. The poems that introduce each concept don’t always have as much connection to the expository text that follows for my liking. A tighter fit would make this stronger.

[Beth · Rating 3 out of 5]

A great concept -- the book introduces a variety of animals or plants and a trait they've developed such as sticky burrs, graceful swimming or whatever. Turn the page and there's a text-heavy discussion of how this trait works, it's advantage, and how people are learning to mimic it and where that shows up.

The problems is that the introduction of the animal/plant is done with a cheerful rhyme that doesn't really hold up. The rhymes are forced so that a lot of the text is just there to make the word that rhymes show up instead of bringing more information. So it drains away energy and doesn't build momentum for the page of text following. (Well, geckos have a secret/That helps them stick like glue-/Their toes have tiny, clinging hairs!/Is that why they don't wear shoes?).

Backmatter is for adults, and includes a glossary and a link to a STEM activity on observing nature and basing a design on what they see.

[SL · Rating 4 out of 5]

Half poetry, half non-fiction. I could have done without the poems tbh, they were nice and rhymed but not as memorable as the facts about the animals and plants featured in this book. I hadn't thought of biomimicry until now... nature is so amazing, and it makes me happy to know that there are researchers and scientists who look to nature as an example on how to fix/improve man-made problems. Sometimes you don't have to rebuild the wheel, just look to mother nature and see how it's done! A book that blends poetry and nonfiction together beautifully if you're interested is The Wisdom of Trees: How Trees Work Together to Form a Natural Kingdom by Lita Judge. (Different subject, but the presentation was *chef's kiss*).

[Sarah Melissa · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a delightful picture book about biomimicry and design, targeted for the aged 5 to 12 STEM curriculum. It is I think perfectly appropriate for five-year-olds, even those who may not be reading to themselves yet. It has poetry, simple yet not corny, which increases its appeal. Has seven examples of biomimicry, beginning with burrs and velcro, and lovely pictures. Open-ended, invites child to think of other applications, and has a STEM activity at the end for parents or teachers to help with. Ansberry does STEM curricula.

[Christine Irvin · Rating 5 out of 5]

Learn how scientists and engineers have studied animals and invented things that mimicked nature - that's biomimicry. Six different inventions are highlighted, each with a poem about the animal that was studied, and additional information about how the invention came about. There is a Glossary at the end of the book, as well as additional resources for parents and teachers.

[Rachel · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good pattern of telling about the nature aspect and how it was applied.

[Miss Sarah · Rating 4 out of 5]

A great elementary and up book about how things in nature have inspired scientific inventions.

[Barbara · Rating 3 out of 5]

Rhyming text alternates with informational text to highlights ways in which scientists and inventors have been able to follow Nature's lead to come up with innovations to make life easier for humans. The term "biomimicry" may be new to young readers, but I'm betting many of them will read this book and then try to come up with other examples in which Nature took the lead, and humans followed. Beginning with burrs or hooks that cling that led an engineer to come up with Velcro, the book also discusses echolocation, adhesives, extremely-slick surfaces, windmills with bumpy blades, a pillbot to fight fires, and a stream-lined nose based on a kingfisher's beak for a bullet train. The back matter includes a glossary, and parents, caregivers and teachers can find additional resources online to add to the fascination with Nature's wonders this book inspires. I also liked the colorful illustrations showing youngsters and animals and plants up close. As always, it is impossible to miss by adding books from this publisher to a classroom collection. This is yet another one that covers territory not often discussed in books for children. But it's sure to inspire some budding engineers and creative problem-solvers.