Biomimicry: Inventions Inspired by Nature [Hardcover]

Dora Lee (Author), Margot Thompson (Illustrator)

Book Description

Publication Date: August 1, 2011 | Age Range: 8 and up | Lexile Measure: 1110L (What's this?)

Biomimicry examines the extraordinary innovations of the natural world and the human inventions they have inspired. Readers will learn about marvels such as high-performance swimsuits modeled after sharkskin and the sleek front ends of Japanese bullet trains based on the long, streamlined beak of the kingfisher. There's also plenty about what glimmers on the horizon: A Brazilian beetle may be key to developing computers that run on light, and the gecko's humble foot may hold the secret to revolutionizing the way surgical wounds are closed. Best of all, nature's inventions are lean, green machines that are self-sustaining and generate zero waste -- yet another cue humans are taking from the natural world. Astounding facts, easy-to-understand prose and luminous illustrations bring the wonders of nature into the science lab.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Dora Lee lives with her family in Vancouver, Canada. From an early age, she was interested in both science and writing. As she grew older, writing took a backseat to jobs in biotechnology research and development.

Margot Thompson is an illustrator of children's books including the award-winning Tree of Life, Sea Monsters, Make a Change: Shapes, and Make a Change: Opposites. She also works as a designer at the Royal Ontario Museum in Toronto.

Product Details

• Age Range: 8 and up
  
• Hardcover: 40 pages
• Publisher: Kids Can Press (August 1, 2011)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1554534674
• ISBN-13: 978-1554534678
• Product Dimensions: 12.2 x 9.4 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #437,757 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars Inspirational July 30, 2012

By M. Heiss

A bit hokey on the whole "Mother Nature" stuff (may as well go whole-hog and call her Gaia, eh?), but science has interesting things to teach us about solving problems in new (old) and natural ways. This is an exciting book, with lots of well-written information and clever illustrations. Could this book give your young scientists great ideas for science fair projects? Yes, indeed.

Great vocabulary in this book, including: amino acids, antibiotics, autism, bactreia, biomimicry, camouflage, decompose...

2.0 out of 5 stars Not what I expected March 7, 2013

By glinkot

Amazon Verified Purchase

Reviews had led me to believe this was a serious book covering biomimicry in its various forms. It's a childrens book, so just be aware of that before you purchase.