Nature Did It First: Engineering Through Biomimicry

by Karen Ansberry, Jennifer DiRubbio (Illustrator)

Overview

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, like:

• How burrs inspired Velcro
• How grooved gecko feet inspired adhesive
• How bumpy whale flippers inspired windmill blades and surfboards
• And more!

Back matter includes:

• A glossary for words like echolocation and adhesive
• A STEM Challenge activity perfect for your home or classroom

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781584696575
Publisher:	Sourcebooks
Publication date:	05/01/2020
Pages:	32
Product dimensions:	7.90(w) x 10.10(h) x 0.40(d)
Age Range:	5 - 11 Years

About the Author

Karen Ansberry is a mom, teacher, writer, and nature lover. As the co-author of the Picture-Perfect STEM and Picture-Perfect Science series for elementary teachers, she gives workshops across the country helping teachers learn to integrate STEM and reading. Karen has taught science for over 25 years. Her science classroom was full of pets, including finches, rats, chinchillas, snakes, and even hissing cockroaches! Karen lives in historic Lebanon, Ohio, with her husband, four children, and three dogs, Find her at pictureperfectscience.com.

Jennifer DiRubbio is both a passionate artist and an avid environmentalist. She has been active as an artist for several organizations that promote nature and a healthy planet. Jennifer graduated with a BFA from Pratt Institute in 1992. She keeps her home and studio in Merrick, New York, as "green" and environmentally sound as possible, where her husband and two young children also work and play.

Editorial Reviews

"Rhymes, such as yard and Bernard... will help youngsters, ages 5 – 10, read independently. Endnotes including a glossary and a STEM Biomimicry Design Challenge, complement the examples of copying nature to solve a problem. " — Oneota Reading Journal

"This colorful children’s book is a wonderful contribution to science literacy, particularly the underrepresented field of bioengineering." — Catherine Bilow, Catholic Library World

"Inspiring for all those kids who look at the world in wonder and ask, what if?" — Kirkus Reviews

"You will never see nature with the same eyes after reading this book." — Skipping Stones Magazine

From the Publisher

2019-12-08
An introduction to biomimicry and engineering for young readers learning to see connections.

The format of the book follows a predictable pattern. One double-page spread with a rhyming poem describes something in nature ("The kingfisher sits upon a perch / And spies a silvery flash. / He swiftly dives to catch a fish / But barely makes a splash") and is followed by a second spread that examines the animal or plant in more depth, with an explanation about how engineers adapted what they observed to solve a problem: Changing the noses of Japanese bullet trains to match kingfishers' streamlined beaks meant they wouldn't boom loudly when exiting tunnels. After a walk with his dog, George de Mestral wondered how burrs stuck to fur. He saw their tiny, curved hooks under a microscope, and Velcro was born. Bats' echolocation led to the design of a cane with a vibrating handle to help blind people navigate. Other natural inspirations include geckos' sticky feet, whales' bumpy flippers, pitcher plants' slippery sides, and pill bugs' rolling up. DiRubbio's watercolors match the text. The first spread shows the animal or plant in its environment. The second uses vignettes to enhance the text's explanation as well as engineering drawings emphasizing the appropriate aspect. Backmatter includes a short glossary and a design challenge meant for teachers to use with students.

Inspiring for all those kids who look at the world in wonder and ask, what if? (Informational picture book. 5-11)

Kirkus Reviews