Mimic Makers: Biomimicry Inventors Inspired by Nature

by Kristen Nordstrom, Paul Boston (Contributor)

“Young readers will be captivated by the contemporary inventors and inventions featured, and inspired to incorporate biomimicry into their own designs.”
—Miranda Paul, author of One Plastic Bag and Water is Wate r

Who's the best teacher for scientists, engineers, AND designers? Mother nature, of course!

When an inventor is inspired by nature for a new creation, they are practicing something called biomimicry. Meet ten real-life scientists, engineers, and designers who imitate plants and animals to create amazing new technology. An engineer shapes the nose of his train like a kingfisher's beak. A scientist models her solar cell on the mighty leaf. Discover how we copy nature's good ideas to solve real-world problems!


WINNER AAAS/Subaru SB&F Prize for Excellence in Science Books

A National Science Teacher Association Best STEM Book

“ Mimic Makers reveals marvels of engineering inspired by nature with images that invite careful observation and explanations that are expressive, but never over simplified.”
— Kim Parfitt, AP Biology and Environmental Science teacher, curriculum developer for Howard Hughes Medical Institute Biointeractive, and recipient of the Presidential Award for Excellence in Science and Math Teaching.


“Amazing! . . . Love that the book features the scientists and inventors, and that there is a diverse set of them. 
—Janine Benyus, co-founder of the Biomimicry Institute

Genres: Nonfiction, Picture Books, Science, Nature, Stem, Childrens, Animals

48 pages, Hardcover

First published July 13, 2021

Reviews

[Dawn Young · Rating 5 out of 5]

As an engineer and STEM advocate, I found Mimic Makers: Biomimicry Inventors inspired by Nature to be fascinating! Not only is it intriguing and educational, it’s so fun to read. This book is sure to get readers paying attention to things they may otherwise take for granted and start asking “how?” and “why?” and potentially become mimic makers themselves. As a female in STEM, I was especially pleased to see that women were featured. The text is lively and kid-friendly; the illustrations are bright and appealing. The backmatter, which features information about the the mimic makers and encourages readers to become mimic makers themselves, makes this book extra special. A must-have, must-read.

[Danielle · Rating 5 out of 5]

That was super fun! Loved the imagery in it. Can’t wait till my niece is older and I can read it to her

[Claire Noland · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you spend time with naturally curious children who are always asking questions, then MIMIC MAKERS: BIOMIMICRY INVENTORS INSPIRED BY NATURE is the perfect book to share. Beginning with questions like how does a gecko walk on walls? and why are a whale's fins bumpy? this picture book introduces scientists who observed living things in nature and used what they learned to create useful inventions in the field known as biomimicry. 
Featuring a diverse group of scientists from countries around the world, the inventors' "aha" moments are described when they realize how nature can be copied and used to solve problems. Their observations include animals with great kid-appeal such as kingfishers, sharks, and geckos that inspired the nose of the bullet train, the algae resisting surfaces of submarines, and super strong adhesives.
The lively and engaging text makes complex concepts exciting and understandable. The colorful illustrations have a vintage feel and clearly show details from both nature and the corresponding inventions.
MIMIC MAKERS will encourage young scientists to observe the world around them and to develop their own inventive solutions.
Highly recommended for classrooms, libraries, and families.

[Catalin Dinu · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ediția în limba română: "Invenții inspirate din natură", Editura Niculescu, București, 2023, traducere de Armand - Alexandru Roșu

Sunt prezentate 10 invenții inspirate de situații optimizate în natură. Ilustrațiile sunt frumoase, explicațiile clare, iar situațiile alese foarte interesante. O carte pentru copii (pe copertă este specificată grupa de vârstă 5+), de răsfoit și de copiii mai mari, impreună cu părinții sau educatorii lor.

De notat și partea de final, cu o foarte interesantă bibliografie (în limba engleză), din care o parte este alcătuită dintr-o selecție de website uri.

[Janie Reinart · Rating 5 out of 5]

Kristen Nordstrom’s engaging book asks questions to help readers wonder about nature. After she has hooked you with a question, her storytelling pulls you in deeper as she unfolds true examples of scientist that have mimicked nature and solved problems.

I love watching birds. One of my favorite stories in the book is about the Shinkansen bullet train. When it first traveled at 200 miles per hour through a tunnel, it blasted out of the tunnel with a loud booming noise. Nakatsu Eiji watched a kingfisher’s beak cut smoothly through air and water. Nakatsu redesigned and streamlined the shape of the nose of the train like the kingfisher’s bill. This design changed the loud train into a quiet ride.

Kristen invites readers to become mimic makers and invent something new. I have pre-ordered a copy for my own little inventor. The back matter is filled with additional information to learn more about biomimicry. Mimic Makers is an amazing addition for homes, classrooms, and libraries.

[Jenny Lussier · Rating 5 out of 5]

I cannot wait to get this book into the hands of my students and teachers! Kristen Nordstrom has taken a topic which can be complicated and has brought it to a perfect level for elementary students and beyond. Wonders get the book started and then eight different problems are highlighted with the scientists and engineers who solved it using biomimicry. Extensive backmatter is included too. I very much appreciated the diversity of the inventors, including their photographs. This book will be a terrific jumping off point for so many lessons, but it’s also just a fascinating read. Thank you to Charlesbridge Publishing and NetGalley for providing a DRC.

[Heather Montgomery · Rating 5 out of 5]

MIMIC MAKERS is the perfect book for any young person with a passion for animals or inventing! This book brilliantly shows the story behind inventions that are changing our world. Need better windmills? Frank Fish found answers by looking at whale fins. Need a drink in the desert? Kitae Pak borrowed H2O collecting tricks from the design of a beetle's shell. Colorful diagrams complement clear explanations. An excellent combo of STEM info and inspiration for the classroom or home collection!

[Lindsey McDivitt · Rating 5 out of 5]

The fact that nature not only inspires human inventions, but informs them, makes total sense. Children and adults will be fascinated by this well-written account of bio-mimicry inventions. Like me they will look at all aspects of our natural world just a little bit differently. This book is so interesting, well-laid out and beautifully illustrated. I highly recommend!

[Sheryl · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this book! If you are looking for an interesting and inspiring book for kids, pick up a copy of Mimic Makers by Kristen Nordstrom and illustrated by Paul Boston. I learned so much! I had no idea how many excellent solutions came from people observing and copying the way things work in nature. What a great start for summer reading!

[Eileen Winfrey · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fascinating! I don’t normally get super excited about non-fiction (they’re hard to read-aloud), but this one is really interesting and has a ton of ways to get students thinking about problem-solving, observing and tinkering. Loved it.

[Colleen Kosinski · Rating 5 out of 5]

Children will find this book so interesting! Adults, too. How nature inspires inventions is perfect to start creative wheels turning in young minds. I highly recommend picking up a copy of this book.

[Christine Zandt · Rating 5 out of 5]

This interesting nonfiction book will engage older elementary school kids and middle graders. A blend of animal info, science, and technology means fascinating facts that make for page-turning reading. I liked learning how builders learn from nature.

Ten "mimic makers" are featured. My favorites included the Japanese Shinkansen bullet train's "nose" is shaped like a kingfisher's beak, cutting smoothly through the air. The Namibian beetle tips its rear to the sky to collect water from the morning fog; this lent itself to the invention of a clever water collector. The bumpy blades on wind turbines are fashioned after the curves of a humpback whale's flipper.

Overall, this is a fascinating and fun book that boosts STEAM education at home, school, and in libraries.

[Sue Lyle · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wonderful book. Got young people with anxiety. This is the book. Inspirational ideas about how, if we work with nature, can learn from her and be humble and reverent in her presence we can solve our current problems. We are a very young species. Nature has been evolving for 3.6 billion years and knows how to solve problems. We need young imaginative minds like the scientists and engineers in this book to be inspired to look at nature completely differently and save our biodiversity.

[Robin Yardi · Rating 5 out of 5]

Mimic Makers is full of cool and interesting examples of nature inspired inventions from creators across the world. Kids will see themselves in the 12 year-old Pak Kitae who turned a childhood interest in beetles into an amazing adult invention. Mimic Makers will inspire kids to connect to the natural world as keen observers they already are and see themselves as young engineers, designers and scientists!

[Carrie Jones · Rating 5 out of 5]

Both my students and I loved this book! It was simplistic enough for my younger students to grasp, while still very informative. We loved the pictures and diversity depicted throughout the book. I was very excited to obtain a science related book. It is difficult to find engaging science books that both educate and entertain. Loved this!
**huge thanks to NetGalley for the arc!

[Dawn · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting book about different inventions that have taken their design from nature. Each invention, inventor, and natural inspiration has a short paragraph. Backmatter includes pictures of all of the inventors, directions to follow on mimic making, and a list of resources for additional reading.

[Lynn B. · Rating 5 out of 5]

“How does a kingfisher dive into the water without a splash?
Why are a whale’s flippers bumpy?
Why do maple seeds twirl when they fall?
How does a gecko walk on walls?”

And what does any of this have to do with human inventions?

In MIMIC MAKERS: BIOMIMICRY INVENTORS INSPIRED BY NATURE, Kristin Bott Nordstrom beautifully answers these questions, and others, too!

Readers will find that Nakatsu Eiji redesigned Japan’s bullet train after watching kingfishers “plunge like an arrow into the water.” He shaped the nose of the train to resemble a kingfisher’s pointy beak. And Yueh-Lin Loo studied the wrinkles and folds of a maple leaf to create a better solar cell.

By devoting a pair of double page spreads to each case of biomimicry, this book delivers a fascinating look at human ingenuity as inspired by the natural world. Paul Boston’s clear and colorful computer illustrations help readers make the connections. MIMIC MAKERS is top-notch nonfiction for the elementary school crowd.

As Nordstrom says, “Nature’s secrets are waiting for you…Become a mimic maker and invent something new!”

[Terry Pierce · Rating 5 out of 5]

Kristen Nordstrom’s MIMIC MAKERS is an excellent choice for curious young minds and budding scientists and engineers. Using ten examples of scientists, architects, engineers, biologists and designers, she engages readers into learning how people can improve the world by observing nature. Could a bird possibly silence a 200-mile-per-hour train? It can when it’s a kingfisher! When a technical developer observed how a kingfisher dives into water without making a ripple, it made sense to apply this bit of nature to a bullet train that was “booming” through its tunnel in Japan. Nine other examples help show kids how nature can be observed to advance and improve human life.

And that’ not all. Throughout the text, Nordstrom uses kid-friendly examples and engaging language to invite readers to consider what they might observe and someday discover. This book would be a welcome STEM addition to a classroom or home.

[Pamela Lopez · Rating 5 out of 5]

A wonderfully unique children's book that blends science, curiosity, and a call to action all in a beautifully illustrated, eye catching, and engaging read! It is the perfect book for young readers to begin to observe and question nature’s design around them. I particularly love the story of Kingsley Fregene - A principal research scientist who grew up next to the Niger River who observed samara seeds and hummingbirds and then went on to design Samarai drones. In the end, Kristen provides a glossary and helpful links on how anyone from any part of the world or environment can be a mimic maker and resolve human problems that nature has already solved! This book is perfect for piquing the interest of a STEM student early on and I will be gifting this book to my young nieces and nephews for the start of the new school year!

[Novel Obsession · Rating 4 out of 5]

Kristen Nordstrom has written an excellent STEAM book or young children in (Amazon affiliate link) Mimic Makers. Nordstrom takes a look at several animals which have been the inspiration for science innovation. Going through the story behind the invention, as well as the science behind why that particular aspect works and how, the book is a great way to get kids thinking about the world around them. As a picture book, there aren’t a lot of examples, but the ones used should appeal to young children. The bright, colorful illustrations only add to the appeal for toddlers and preschool age children.

Disclaimer: An advance copy was provided by Charlesbridge Publishing. Originally posted at Novel Obsession.

[Jane Miller · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was very impressed with the illustrations, the inspiration and the diversity that I found in this book. Of the 8 examples, each example was one I felt the intended audience ( ages 7-10) could definitely relate to. Who doesn't enjoy hearing about bullet trains, sharks or things that fly? There are 4 pages dedicated to each example of how nature helped to solve a problem that had scientists stumped. The reader learns what the problem was and how an apparently unrelated observation provided the missing piece of the puzzle. The last 8 pages define key vocabulary, provide descriptions of related jobs, tell about the authors, the mimic makers and provide book and web resources.

[Kelly · Rating 5 out of 5]

Such a cool book for those who are curious and those who need a nudge to be more curious. Love how the author explains how nature was the impetus for many inventions and scientific discoveries. There is enough text to explain and spark additional research for those who are interested in specific topics, and the pictures are bright and colorful. A very short biography of the mimic makers is included in the back, along with mimic maker professions, a glossary, additional resources of books and websites, and information on how to be a mimic maker by observing, creating, inventing, engineering, and problem solving.

[Reshamad · Rating 5 out of 5]

Review is part of Cybils Awards

Meet 10 biomimicry inventors who were inspired by mother nature. This non fiction picture book highlights 10 inventions and what inspired the inventors creativity. Read all about how a fungus that survives in hot boiling waters of Yellowstone inspired two botanists to help grow rice fields in hot, dry and salty soil. Read about how inventor Frank Fish drew inspiration from an humpback whale's fin shape to make clean energy using wind turbines. And many more ...

A wonderful title to add to your little inventor toolkit! Highly recommend "Mimic Makers"

[Kelly · Rating 5 out of 5]

What does a kingfisher (bird) have in common with a high-speed train?
A humpback whale and a wind turbine?
A shark and a cell phone case?

Nature showed machines how to be better! (It's the definition of biomimicry).

Through interviews with a group of diverse scientists from around the world, all of whom contributed advice to personally encourage curious children, Nordstrom and Boston do a fantastic job at boiling down very complex scientific concepts into a colorful and fun picture book that kids won't outgrow anytime soon.

Thank you CharlesBridge for the copy of Mimic Makers, which was provided to me for review as a 2021 Cybils panelist.

[Kristen Nordstrom · Rating 5 out of 5]

Karen Jameson has created an instant classic with, A LLAMA IS NOT AN ALPACA. This clever picture book will pique every child’s curiosity about animals. The vibrant illustrations by Lorna Scobie paired with clever rhyming riddles are the perfect combination to engage children in a fun guessing game of, What animal is this? This book could be read as a bedtime story, a fun interactive read aloud, or used as a springboard into a fascinating STEM exploration investigating the structures and functions of the animal world. I’m a teacher at a STEAM Academy, and I’m buying this book for our school library and for my own classroom library. What a treasure!

[Preston Braxley · Rating 5 out of 5]

A delectable medley of biomimicry inspired splendor! I really enjoyed reading this to my kids! I think this book sets itself apart from other books in the children's STEM field because it isn't afraid to dive into real world examples and flesh those out. It's the equivalent of speaking to a child in the same way you would anyone else, it doesn't baby the subject matter at all but still simplifies it in a respectable way. I also really enjoyed how I could look up these people afterwards with my children to learn more about them!

[Charlotte Offsay · Rating 5 out of 5]

Did you know that the bullet train design was molded after a birdwatcher observed a kingfisher diving into the water? ⁠
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Or that clean solar energy designs are being modeled after the best natural sun-catcher - leaves?!⁠
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Studying nature has lead to numerous fascinating scientific advancements. Don't miss this brilliant new picture book which details 10 mimic makers who used nature to advance technology. This book left my kids looking at the natural world around them with a whole new lens, I highly recommend checking it out!⁠

[C.S. Boyll · Rating 5 out of 5]

I highly recommend this nonfiction picture book for children interested in studying nature and imagining how they can invent products that will make our environment better. Teacher Nordstrom tells real-life stories of scientists from many cultural backgrounds, who have studied sharks, kingfishers, geckos, etc., and mimicked nature's strengths into inventions we can use in our modern world. The many illustrations by Paul Boston give off a modern feel of technology intertwining with nature. Photos of the scientists and lots of further reading references are a plus.

[Laura Perdew · Rating 5 out of 5]

Right from the start MIMIC MAKERS pulls readers in with engaging questions – the same questions that scientists asked when they observed the natural world. Why are whale’s flippers bumpy? How does a gecko walk on walls? And so on. The book introduces many scientists who were inspired to find out the answers to their questions and used their discoveries to create new technology. This book is engaging and accessible for young readers, as well as inspiring!

[Beth · Rating 4 out of 5]

A look at how various inventors drew inspiration from nature -- a problem, a natural solution (kingfishers and their splashless entries, geckos wall climbing, sharks algae-free skin) and how the engineer and their team (Nordstrom is careful to emphasize teamwork) adopted the latter to deal with the former. The final pages encourage kids to do the same, starting now.

It's a fun introduction to engineer and problem solving with clear text and engaging illustrations.