Invented by Animals: Meet the creatures who inspired our everyday technology

by Christiane Dorion, Gosia Herba (Illustrator)

Often human scientists try and solve a problem or invent a new tool and they realise that animals have already invented it for them. In this book you will meet the animal inventors who have shared their super inventing powers to make amazing things for humans.  

We have invented ways of solving problems, making unbelievable materials, ways of getting around and working out how to survive on our own for millions of years. Sometimes when a human inventor gets stuck, they come to the animal kingdom to see if we can help them out.  In this book you will meet the crème de la crème of animal innovators who have created or are in the process of inventing things that people use every day.

Meet the shark who invented a pair of swimming shorts so fast, they were banned from the Olympic games. And meet the snail who has invented a house that stays cool inside even in the desert.   

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

80 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2021

About the author

Christiane Dorion is a children's author who is passionate about the natural world and loves writing about it. Her books have won many awards, including the Royal Society Young People's Book Prize. Originally from Quebec, Canada, Christiane now lives in Surrey in the UK.

Reviews

[Natalie all_books_great_and_small · Rating 4 out of 5]

I received an advance reader copy of this book to read in exchange for an honest review via netgalley and the publishers.

Invented by Animals is a beautifully illustrated children's book which is light and easy to read and listen to and gives some fantastic information to children about each animal/insect/fish/creature.
Each animal has a two page spread and has information about who they are, how they're inspiring humans, what humans are trying to achieve from them and much more!
I would love this book to be part of a series and a second book idea could be of how these animals have evolved to be what they are.
A very interesting and fun read for children!

[Jan · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a wonderfully illustrated learning tool!
Learn how smart scientists looked to the natural world to craft substitutes to make our lives better by showing what different fauna have. Stir your own inventiveness by changing perspectives and thinking *outside the lab*! The information is encyclopedic and the organizational aspect is perfect. I plan to get one for the local library and nudge the out-of-town parents to get their own!
Perfect for ages 7-97.
I requested and received a free temporary ebook copy from Quarto Publishing Group – Wide Eyed Editions via NetGalley. Thank you!

[Rachel · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a wonderfully illustrated, charmingly written informational book about the various animals and bugs and how they inspired scientists. Split up by colour, it will be fun to go through with kids bit by bit.

[Capn · Rating 4 out of 5]

Argh. There will be a more succinct way of saying what I'm intending to, but I will leave it to my betters.

Great concept, fun facts, lovely illustrations, and content that's just too old for the picture book set. It's a mismatch. I know an 8 year old boy who would really find all of this fascinating - but I know for a hard fact that he is too old for picture books, and wouldn't touch one with a 20 foot barge pole, lest his credibility amongst his peers slide or the big-boy years under his belt were reneged or something.

So I'm giving it a generous 4 stars because I liked it (the shipworm tunnelling factoid was my favourite), and I'm all for the basic science research intersection of biological sciences and engineering. And I liked the cute pictures.

But the trouble was that the content would be best suited to a David Macaulay-fan, with that level of accuracy in illustration. The cutesy art style in this fits the wide and large format, but not the content, and I just think that the publishers got that quite wrong.

It's in a no-man's-land, rather like the wonderful, I Ate Sunshine for Breakfast: A Celebration of Plants Around the World - only this somehow avoids the younger years that Invented by Animals seeks to court. It was in the knee-high section of our local library.

I'm sorry for the author/illustrator team. Both did good work here, but the ideal target audience is just "too old" for picture books. I hope not all kids think so, because this was a fun read, given a greater-than-preschool attention span. ;)

(I still think that if you find the right audience for this book, that kid might then find the illustrations oversimplified. I mean, cute, smiling cartoon gecko but no close-up of the microscopic hairs which branch into hundreds of further endings on the footpads, which was the focus of the technological mimickry to begin with).

Bit of a miscue. And it's a shame.

[Joy Corkery · Rating 5 out of 5]

Such a cute book! Kids will love the different animals and all the cool things they can do. Adults will enjoy this book as well. I learned so much from it! It’s also beautifully illustrated.

[Stanley (Stan) Enya · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thanks to NetGalley and Wide Eyed Editions for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

3.5/5 rounded up to 4

A really fun non-fic book for children (probably older children) on how humans are inspired by non-human animals to develop certain technologies.

The text is straightforward and informative, and the illustrations are really cute and fun. The Namib beetle was probably my favourite. It's also very vocal about climate change and other environmental issues.

In terms of the negatives, it was really too busy at times with text and illustration. Many spreads are just visually overwhelming, taking away from both text and illustrations. It's also not always clear where you're meant to go next in the text. A bit weak on the design front in my opinion and a good example of more not always being more.

It's also depressing reading this as an adult and realising that far from using these technologies for noble purposes like the book states (medicine, measures against climate change), first and foremost they'll be used for military purposes, hah.

[Mehsi · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interessant, leuke uitvindingen, leuk geschreven, toffe illustraties, geweldige keuze aan dieren.
Maar ook erg prekiger. Ik vond het leuk als het over de uitvinding ging, maar vaak ging het toch weer naar het milieu, naar het klimaat, en sorry, ik wil gewoon een boek lezen over uitvindingen, even niet nadenken over dat de wereld potentieel vergaat. Dank je.

[Terri · Rating 3 out of 5]

Even though the book felt super long to me and it seemed to have several grammatical or sentence structure errors, it will appeal to kids who love animals and science. It’s amazing what we humans can and have learned from animals and how much they’ve helped us further our technology.

[Theediscerning · Rating 3 out of 5]

A well-meaning book for school libraries, and a bit of a success at that, but one that also was a bit of a missed opportunity. Each page we get a different creature pointing out their unique abilities, so the eagle is there to boast of their superlative eyesight (a human atop a ten storey building could watch an ant if we had the same talent, scaled up), and a gecko is there to talk about how he can lick his own eyeball. Well, no, not really, as his ability to walk up walls and across the ceiling is the key. These are examples of animals besting human ingenuity, but also where we have borrowed some of Mother Nature's ideas and learnt to think along the same lines for our own inventions. So a chameleonic octopus might teach us how to adapt textile properties, and so on.

All well and good – it's nice to meet lots of critters and see how remarkable they are. But the writing can leave out all the important bits, so we get told a squid's teeth are self-repairing, but never how. And as for the writing, sometimes the design means it's nigh impossible to work out which paragraph to read in which order. To my mind, with double-page spreads like these, the grammar is to start top left and read the entire spread as if it was one page. Not so here. Even digitally you have to respect the centre-fold, so read paragraph one, then work out that number two is that bit right down at the bottom, and reading the bit in the middle of the facing leaf is then third.

Also, I've said this before and it looks like I'll have to say it again – there is so much wonderful, intriguing nature on these pages, and not one single word about how any of this animal ingenuity evolved. I was taking the mickey when I said it was down to Mother Nature – there's no such thing, and evolution is responsible. I can only guess the creationist cults make up such a strong pressure group that books like this can only include the small page needed to explain evolution at their peril. But all that that means is that the young reader here gets half the science, and half the picture. What with that, and the generally, needlessly jumbled design, even if this can link kingfishers with train streamlining technology, this gets at most three and a half stars.

[Susan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Many of our planets’ most innovative inventions were inspired by nature. “Invented by Animals: Meet the Creatures who Inspired our Everyday Technology” looks at some of the animals that have inspired these inventions. These inventions include superfast swimwear, drones, surgical glue, and sonar. This book is filled with a variety of anthropomorphic narrators who discuss how the adaptations that help them survive in the wild have inspired scientists. The pages are brightly colored and filled with interesting, if randomly placed, facts.

Independent readers will enjoy looking at the pictures and reading about this interesting collection of animals. This book will find a home in public and school libraries, but educators will have a hard time incorporating this book into the classroom. The placement of “thought bubbles” is random, and there is no text that unifies the book. It is almost unusable as a classroom read-aloud. This book is also not recommended as a tie-in to the science curriculum. Although “Invented by Animals” has a table of contents and an index of the animals mentioned, it is lacking other important nonfiction elements; there isn’t a bibliography, a glossary, a listing of resources for further investigation, or any pictures of the wondrous animals described in the book.

I would still recommend Invented by animals for students’ personal reading. The attractive layout, and the basic facts that are included, might prompt a child to learn more about these animals or the steps involved with inventing new products. This is a recommended purchase for elementary school and public libraries.

Thank you to NetGalley for a free ARC of this book in exchange for my honest opinion.

[Bill · Rating 3 out of 5]

Invented by Animals by Christiane Dorion is a book chockfull of information, much of it fascinating, but its abundance of text and layout make for a less than ideal reading experience.

Each page is a single creature speaking directly to the reader about several of their particular attributes, one of which is the inspiration for human products (either already created or in the development/research stage). The octopus speaks of its mimicry, the gecko of its ability to grip surfaces, the penguin of its personal waterproofing and so on. Products range from better waterproof fabrics (penguins) to water collectors (Namib beetles) to tiny search and rescue drones (dragonflies). All in all roughly 40 creatures make an appearance (most getting their own page, with some sharing a page, such as the “master builders” (beavers, termites, bees).

As noted, there is a lot of fascinating material here. Maybe too much. The text takes up a lot of space and unfortunately, the movement from paragraph to paragraph isn’t always intuitive. Even after picking up how to read it I still would sometimes instinctively move my eyes elsewhere at the start of a page. The artwork, meanwhile, is brightly cheerful, with semi-accurate but anthropomorphized illustrations of the creatures. But again, there’s a lot going on visually, and it struck me as too busy, especially in combination with the text. Honestly, while I thought it highly informative, I think I would have preferred about half the creatures and a cleaner, sleeker look both visually and textually

Because of the business of the visuals, the amount and layout of the text, and some of the vocabulary, I’d call this a book more for “older younger” readers, more 4-5 than K-3.
3.5 rating

[Justyna Sztuczka · Rating 5 out of 5]

"Wynalazcy" z tekstem od Christiane Dorion oraz ilustracjami Gosi Herba to wspaniała książka dla latorośli 6+, które zadziwiają dorosłych swoją ciekawością świata. Dzięki tej książce dzieci będą w stanie dowiedzieć się, jakie wynalazki człowiek zawdzięcza zwierzętom i ich naturalnym, charakterystycznym cechom. Zwierzęta, które znajdziemy w tej książce już dawno zainspirowały lub wciąż inspirują świat naukowców do pokonywania kolejnych granic. Poznajemy rekina, który był inspiracją dla powstania nietuzinkowych strojów kąpielowych, mających wspomóc zawodników podczas rywalizacji. Mamy do czynienia z pszczołą, która była w stanie wymyślić fantastyczny kształt, jakim jest sześciokąt, a struktury z niego wytwarzane często towarzyszą ludzkości w produkcji lekkich, ale mocnych przedmiotów. Gekon zainspirował ludzkość do stworzenia specjalnych łapek, dzięki którym człowiek może poruszać się po szklanych powierzchniach w pionie, A nawet do góry nogami. Zwierząt w książce jest mnóstwo, podobnie jak ciekawostek z nimi związanych. Ta pozycja fantastycznie sprawdzi się nie tylko w przypadku dzieci, ale również i dorosłych. Sama podczas lektury dowiedziałam się całkiem sporo, aż byłam zaskoczona, że te wszystkie rzeczy, które znamy, inspirowane są zwierzętami i ich umiejętnościami. Polecam!

[Sharon Tyler · Rating 4 out of 5]

Invented by Animals: Meet the Creatures who Inspired our Everyday Technology, written by Christiane Dorion and illustrated by Gosia Herba, is a children's nonfiction book. Often human scientists try and solve a problem or invent a new tool and they realize that animals have already invented it for them. In this book you will meet the animal inventors who have shared their super inventing powers to make amazing things for humans. Meet the shark who invented a pair of swimming shorts so fast, they were banned from the Olympic games. And meet the snail who has invented a house that stays cool inside even in the desert.

Invented by Animals is a book that offers readers insight about how animals and nature have inspired inventions and innovation. Many of the facts and stories were something I had read or heard part of before, while some of the information was new to me. I thought the pages were well designed- with small sections of text and plenty of bright illustrations to capture the attention and imagination of readers. The information was well worded, so that it was never condescending nor too complex so the book can appeal to a wide range of readers. This was an interesting and engaging read that would be equally welcome in school, classroom, and personal libraries.

[Barbara Band · Rating 5 out of 5]

Invented by Animals looks at animal characteristics and behaviours that have inspired humans to solve tricky problems or improve existing inventions. Twenty-eight animals are featured, many of which will be familiar to the reader such as spiders, penguins, jellyfish and slugs, and there are also pages covering master builders, the art of flying, and robot world – a look at tiny creatures that have inspired robotics. Each is presented on a double page spread with the colourful and fun illustrations taking centre stage. The text is generally in four clear blocks and is written in the first person, making it more relatable for children. We discover where the animal lives and the property is has that makes it unusual or interesting so we learn that a shark’s skin has led to the development of high tech swimsuits and coatings for ships; the earwig’s wings were the inspiration for origami folding wings for satellites; whale flippers have helped create bumpy blades for wind turbines; and porcupine quills resulted in wound-closing staples. Most children are interested in animals and this book would be great for dipping in to. It’s fascinating and educational, the animals featured are varied and there are plenty of “wow, I didn’t know that” moments to enjoy!

[The Silvan Reverie | Sarah Street · Rating 5 out of 5]

A fascinating and in-depth look at the animal kingdom and how they have specifically inspired human inventions. Over 30 different animals are represented in this thorough volume filled with lots of detail that kids will want to visit again and again.

Learn how sharks have inspired high-tech swimsuits, beavers have inspired flood defenses, dragonflies have inspired drones, and many many more! I appreciate that the overall tone of the book is to celebrate animals. The human invention part is a thread that is brought up throughout the book, but it really doesn't put human ingenuity at the center. Rather, the focus is on the brilliance and inherent of nature.

Illustrations are vivid and playful -- animals are anthropomorphized, which I have mixed feelings about. I do think this style appeals to kids.

There are TONS of pages to explore and this won't get boring. A unique book and one I think animal-loving and STEM-minded children will enjoy. Ages 7-10.

**Note: I was given a review copy of this book by Quarto Kids. Opinions are my own.

[Dbgirl · Rating 2 out of 5]

Kirjassa oli ainakin minulle rutkasti uutta ja jännittävää tietoa eläimistä ja niiden ”keksinnöistä” jotka ovat auttaneet ihmisiä tekemään parempia keksintöjä. Kuvitus oli hauskaa mutta oli vaikea osata lukea kirjan tekstiä oikeassa järjestyksessä, ohjautuvuus ei toiminut hyvin. Lisäksi se tuntui ainakin näin aikuisesta vähän lapselliselta, en tiedä minkä ikäisille lapsille tämä on tarkoitettu mutta toivottavasti tämä saisi jonkun lapsen kiinnostumaan eläimistä, tieteestä ja luonnonsuojelusta.

Same in English:

This book had, at least for me, lots of new and exciting information about animals and their ”inventions” that have inspired people to make better inventions. The illustration was funny but it was hard to read the text in correct order. And this felt a little too childish for an adult, I don’t know what aged children this is aimed for but I hope this will still make some children to be interested in animals, science and nature protection.

2,5/5 (2)

[joyce w. laudon · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book will undoubtedly fascinate young future scientists. In it, they will learn about the many ways in which animals, sea creatures and insects have invented things that have inspired and influenced human technology. For instance, the second entry is about a butterfly that has taught humans about adding color to textiles. Next readers learn about a shark’s skin and its influence on everything from bathing suits to, potentially, the material on the outside of airplanes. Each colorful two page spread includes numerous facts and lively illustrations. There are more than thirty entries in all.

This is an interesting title that kids can explore in any order. Who knows what ideas they will have after reading this book?

Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this title. All opinions are my own.

[Jo · Rating 5 out of 5]

All these times, I thought that human beings are truly excelled above all those animals. How smart we are, creating things. But, alas, not everything was thought and created from human minds. For surviving the world, some animals created things that were copied by human beings.

So here we are with a self-air-conditioned house, a cardboard material, and defying gravity, for example. And those are created based on some animals ability to keep on living in the harsh world.

One good book to read, and learn and maybe invent some ideas never been thought before.

[Darcie Jenkins · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book had me from the first illustrations of animals in lab coats. I would recommend this to every school and to all of my animal obsessed students. Just reading this gave me some fun new animal facts that will make me seem cool to my second graders. The illustrations are wonderful and the book is written in language that is easy for a young student to understand when read to, but difficult enough that a middle-elementary student could read it independently.

[Alexandra · Rating 5 out of 5]

Awesome .. I really love the concept and idea of this book. Knowledge about special animals who inspiring human to developing amazing inventions and solve tricky problems.

With cute illustration and fun language to explaining, my kid totally love it. The chance to know about what animals represent as master disguise, super zoom vision, master builder or an expert paper maker totally intriguing them nonstop.

[Katie · Rating 4 out of 5]

"I received a complimentary copy of this book through NetGalley. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own."
This is so well put together. I loved all the different animals and the facts that were presented. It was beautiful and engaging and would be a great resource along side an animal study or just to read on by itself.

[Mar*Grieta* · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is brilliant!

It's humorous and extremely educating!

As an adult I found many interesting and unknown facts for myself!

Each animal introduces themselves in a funny manner and explain how they inspired humans in certain achievements!

This book is parent + child friendly. Whole family will have fun reading it!

[Izzi · Rating 4 out of 5]

What a great book! This book gives information about different animals and explains how they inspired different human gadgets. For example, the eye technology of an eagle has been used in miniature cameras and how the shape of a kingfisher beak helped the design of a bullet train.
The book is also full of great illustrations. A really eye-catching book which would be great for older children.

[Pamela · Rating 3 out of 5]

W cutesy illustrations and written from the animal’s perspective, this large-trim book shares facts (light on details) about animal-inspired inventions and possible future applications. The colorful spreads mix fanciful illustrations of clothed animals with more informational diagrams of important characteristics that might be confusing for young readers. Gets a little repetitive.

[Valeria Duque · Rating 5 out of 5]

Es un libro demasiado cute. Te muestra a los animales desde una perspectiva demasiado hermosa. Demuestra su utilidad en la vida y su importancia en el planeta, al tiempo que incentiva el cuidado del medio ambiente y los ecosistemas para la protección de todos. Además, las ilustraciones que acompañan las páginas son hermosas y se que un niño amaría leer esto.

5/5 ♡

[Annabelle Gibson]

I would use this book probably at two different points in my classroom. The first option is when talking about all the different animals and science. The second option is when we are discussing technology and where it came from nd how it has changed over time. I really liked this book because of the illustration its provides and makes connections.

[Deidra Chamberlain · Rating 3 out of 5]

Bio mimicry is fascinating. The illustrations draw you in, and the text is informative. It took us multiple settings to get through, and I found I struggled to remember where we had left off, so it’s more forgettable than it should be. Still a great book with a lot to explore and keep you coming back.

[Diana Zheng · Rating 5 out of 5]

I thought this book to be fascinating. I enjoyed reading about how these animals’ strange functions inspired inventors and scientists to create brilliant invention with the possibility of more invention. They are truly the originators of many of our new gadgets.

[Jo · Rating 5 out of 5]

Invented By Animals by Christiane Dorian is so full of facts about how various animals have influenced human design. So many interesting facts that I didn’t know! The illustrations are bright and colourful and add to the book wonderfully.
Thank you netgalley for letting me read this.

[Terresa Wellborn · Rating 4 out of 5]

I appreciate the angle of this book -- pairing animal facts with specific examples of how they've influenced inventions & technology. Plus fun illustrations that would be well suited to elementary age + the kid in all of us.