I've seen several other books about biomimicry, but I really like the presentation and information in this one.
Bright, colorful illustrations and small chunks of text present various recent inventions inspired by nature. Readers first see a spread with the invention in action, like rice growing in poor conditions with the help of a fungus, then on the following spread the inventors and researchers are introduced with a short overview of their work. The inventions include the redesign of a bullet train based on kingfishers, solar panels based on leaves, sharkskin-inspired coatings for ships and submarines, and much more.
Backmatter introduces each of the inventors with a thumbnail photograph and their credentials and current position. Of the ten inventors profiled, four are white males, four are male POC, one is a white woman and one is an Asian woman. There are notes about the author's research, more information about biomimicry, and suggestions for kids to try their own biomimicry experiments. There are also sources, bibliography, and more resources.
This is one I'd use with elementary kids, either as a read-aloud or as the center of a class discussion and experiment. It would make a cool STEM program or just to spark ideas to think and talk about. Younger kids can grasp the concepts and ideas included as well, although they may be too wiggly for the longer text and it may be better taken in bite-sized chunks.
Verdict: An excellent addition to most school libraries and public libraries that have an interested in STEM for elementary readers.
ISBN: 9781580899475; Published July 2021 by Charlesbridge; Borrowed from another library in my consortium
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