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Science Comics: The Senses: Signals and Stimuli
Not yet published
Expected 20 Oct 26You won't believe your eyes...or ears…or nose in this volume of Science Comics, the smash-hit STEM series that has sold over a million copies!
Did you know ants can smell with their antennae? Fish taste with their skin while flies taste with their feet! Snakes can "see" with heat! Some moles have fingers on their faces! And many animals use tiny parts inside their ears to keep from falling over! Join us as we learn how a whale hears, how a spider feels, how a cat stays on its feet, and how we can use their experience of the world to better understand our own.
Did you know ants can smell with their antennae? Fish taste with their skin while flies taste with their feet! Snakes can "see" with heat! Some moles have fingers on their faces! And many animals use tiny parts inside their ears to keep from falling over! Join us as we learn how a whale hears, how a spider feels, how a cat stays on its feet, and how we can use their experience of the world to better understand our own.
- GenresScience
128 pages, Hardcover
Expected publication October 20, 2026
About the author
Andy Hirsch
99 books26 followersAndy Hirsch is a cartoonist living in Dallas, Texas. He is the author and artist of a stack of entries in hit series Science Comics from First Second Books, covering topics from dogs to geology to outer space. His most recent book, Good Boy, follows a mismatched boy and his dog as they overcome obstacles from bar jumps to anxiety dreams in the exciting world of canine sports. His work is consistently selected by the Junior Library Guild and has appeared on the American Library Association's Best Graphic Novels for Children reading list.
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Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
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April 2, 2026Why are the offerings so slim for middle-grade readers who love nonfiction, particularly those seeking scientific rather than historical content? Thankfully, Science Comics helps fill the gap as (at least in my opinion) the leading series for nonfiction middle-grade graphic novels, with Earth Before Us and The Cartoon Guides as distant runners-up. There’s some variation in how clearly the stories in this series are told and how deeply they explore the science, but overall, these books are excellent and a must-read for any middle-grade nonfiction fan.
This particular installment may not be as popular with my crowd as others like Dinosaurs, Solar System, The Digestive System, Dogs, Trees, Cats, or Crows (with Dogs, Trees, and Cats also by Andy Hirsch), but it’s definitely one that will be read and re-read. With Hirsch’s signature illustration style, there’s a nostalgic touch as he revisits familiar characters (or at least designs reminiscent of old friends like Rudy from Dogs). He switches between these characters to share facts about the senses and how they relate both to the creation of art and to those particular animals. This installment also feels like a return to old favorites, revisiting and delving more deeply into topics like the anatomy of the eye from Cats and the tongue from The Digestive System. It’s definitely a top-ten entry in the series and has some of the best illustrations of the entire set.
Thanks to First Second and NetGalley for the advance reading copy.
This particular installment may not be as popular with my crowd as others like Dinosaurs, Solar System, The Digestive System, Dogs, Trees, Cats, or Crows (with Dogs, Trees, and Cats also by Andy Hirsch), but it’s definitely one that will be read and re-read. With Hirsch’s signature illustration style, there’s a nostalgic touch as he revisits familiar characters (or at least designs reminiscent of old friends like Rudy from Dogs). He switches between these characters to share facts about the senses and how they relate both to the creation of art and to those particular animals. This installment also feels like a return to old favorites, revisiting and delving more deeply into topics like the anatomy of the eye from Cats and the tongue from The Digestive System. It’s definitely a top-ten entry in the series and has some of the best illustrations of the entire set.
Thanks to First Second and NetGalley for the advance reading copy.
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
4.5 rounded up.
Andy Hirsch has produced some of the most endutaining Science Comic entries, and this one is another solid work, especially since it covers more than just the limits of a human being's five senses.
The framing story is a girl named Paige who gets into an argument with her friend about art and how it should be properly made. She then stumbles into an animal-led art class, quickly accepts they can talk, and learns how art can be made for more than just the eye of the beholder. It can also be the nose, echolocating shouts, tongue baths, and electromagnetic radiation, which freaks her out a little until it's explained to be another term for visible light in one of the great visual gags.
The density of the subject matter is offset with visually interesting examples, such as how human ears keep us from falling over with their vestibular system, shown by a cat climbing on the "rug" of the otolith organs a seal balancing a ball/armadillo to demonstrate equilibrium. The eye section obviously has the strongest foundation to show off all the colors. But I also found the section on hearing to be very engaging, showing how owls can interpret sounds by height and distance from asymetrical ears. The weakest section was the one on touch, that seemed to skim over the different sensory input really quickly and didn't connect to the art theme as strongly as the others.
Like other Science Comics, not every term is phonetically explained and some are left to be discussed in a glossary. But it's a great graphic novel for a deeper glance (or sniff!) at how the senses work.
Andy Hirsch has produced some of the most endutaining Science Comic entries, and this one is another solid work, especially since it covers more than just the limits of a human being's five senses.
The framing story is a girl named Paige who gets into an argument with her friend about art and how it should be properly made. She then stumbles into an animal-led art class, quickly accepts they can talk, and learns how art can be made for more than just the eye of the beholder. It can also be the nose, echolocating shouts, tongue baths, and electromagnetic radiation, which freaks her out a little until it's explained to be another term for visible light in one of the great visual gags.
The density of the subject matter is offset with visually interesting examples, such as how human ears keep us from falling over with their vestibular system, shown by a cat climbing on the "rug" of the otolith organs a seal balancing a ball/armadillo to demonstrate equilibrium. The eye section obviously has the strongest foundation to show off all the colors. But I also found the section on hearing to be very engaging, showing how owls can interpret sounds by height and distance from asymetrical ears. The weakest section was the one on touch, that seemed to skim over the different sensory input really quickly and didn't connect to the art theme as strongly as the others.
Like other Science Comics, not every term is phonetically explained and some are left to be discussed in a glossary. But it's a great graphic novel for a deeper glance (or sniff!) at how the senses work.
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
A great addition to the Science Comics series - my children have loved other books in this series, so I knew we needed to pick this one up. I loved that the book shows the senses in animals as well as humans. The illustrations were captivating, and my kids (10, 7, and 7) loved it.
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
What a great look at the senses! There are so many possibilities for lesson plans and jumping off points in this book. I love the comic book style which makes it accessible to so many students. The detail into each of the senses is very informative and relatable.
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews