Inside In: X-Rays of Nature's Hidden World

by Jan Paul Schutten, Arie van't Riet (Photographer)

Discover nature’s secret world with this amazing collection of X-ray photographs of animals and plants!

Using incredible X-ray techniques, Inside In displays creatures and their natural habitats in a never-before-seen way. Kids will learn the awesome answers to questions like:

• What does a bee look like under its furry coat?
• How does a seahorse protect itself with armor and a
skeleton?
• How does a tree frog use its eyes to swallow?

This visually stunning and highly original book is perfect for keeping kids engaged during home-schooling and online learning:

• X-ray images are cool and fun to look at!
• Simple text helps kids understand the animals and plants in
each image.
• Pops of neon colors make animals and plants come to life.

Jan Paul Schutten has been writing children's nonfiction books since 2003. His books are popular and critically acclaimed; he has won several awards including the Gouden Griffel (Golden Stylus) for his book Children of Amsterdam.

Arie van ’t Riet is a Dutch artist and medical physicist who uses X-ray equipment to create “bioramas”—X-ray portraits of animals and plants. While teaching the physics of radiation and radiation safety, he became interested in the application of low-energy X-rays to capture delicate objects. Arie van ’t Riet is “inspired by the unbelievable beauty of nature... and its wonderful complexity.”

Genres: Nonfiction, Animals, Science, Middle Grade, Kids, Childrens, Picture Books

136 pages, Hardcover

Published October 12, 2021

About the author

Jan Paul Schutten has been writing children's nonfiction books since 2003. A native of the Netherlands, his books are popular and critically acclaimed; he has won several awards including the Gouden Griffel (Goldent Stylus) for his books Children of Amsterdam and Het raadsel van alles wat leeft.

Reviews

[Trish · Rating 4 out of 5]

There is not much about this book I can say that isn't self-evident from the title or the cover. It's a book about x-ray images of all kinds of animals and plants. Though it has to be said that the plants didn't get a chapter on their own, they are just visible in the images of some animals.

The chapters we do get are:
- arthropods and mollusks
- fish
- amphibians
- reptiles
- birds
- mammals

And here are some of my favourite pictures:














The book has many more and some pretty interesting texts regarding certain anatomical features of each animal class as well as about the history of these images.

A relatively quick but quite interesting book. It's definitely something you don't see every day and I always appreciate fresh perspectives.

[Moira Macfarlane · Rating 5 out of 5]

Laat me los in een botanische, entomologische, ornithologische, zoölogische collectie en ik ben uren zoet. Al die botjes en sprietjes en wat is dat daar in het 'sterk water' en oh toverpracht die glanskleuren van die kevers, die veertjes zo stofjesteer van uitgestorven vogels en dat al die botjes ooit konden vliegen... Zo'n gevoel geeft dit boek mij ook! Natuur zo magisch mooi, ik wist helemaal niet dat er een man bestond die precies het mooiste weet te maken van zijn röntgenfoto's. Liefde voor natuur, maar nu heel anders... zacht getint in al zijn details perfect èn met de boeiendste toelichting die ik me kan wensen.

De man die de foto's maakte is Arie van 't Riet (natuurkundige gespecialiseerd in stralingsfysica, die met x-ray ogen kijkt naar de natuur om ons heen), de man die het verhaal erbij vertelde is Jan Paul Schutten (schrijver die wetenschap, natuur en geschiedenis zo leuk en begrijpelijk maakt).

In short, this brilliant book was only recently published (and unfortunately not available in UK yet) and it gives me the same feeling when I'm entering the Natural History Museum and get impressed by all those botanical, entomological, ornithological, zoological collections. The pictures are taken by Arie van 't Riet (a physicist specialised in radiation physics, looking with X-ray eyes to nature) and the story added to it is told by Jan Paul Schutten (writer who knows how to turn science, nature and history into a very enjoyable read).

[Natalie Tate · Rating 5 out of 5]

I think an introduction to this book is in order: First, the photographer—Arie van 't Riet is a retired medical physicist who became interested in creating pictures using low-energy x-rays. With these rays, he began creating "bioramas," portrait photos of natural scenes that expose the insides of plants and critters (always using dead animals rather than exposing live ones to harmful light). Now he's lauded as an artist.

Enter Jan Paul Schutten, an award-winning children's author and the man hired to write something interesting to go along with the biorama photos. Where I would have expected long and boring passages about the skeletons and innards of arthropods, mollusks, fish, amphibians, reptiles, birds, and mammals, I found the text captivating and very clever. I also learned a lot! With this superstar duo at its helm, Inside In is a nonfiction title for middle graders that's bound to be a hit.

[Inger · Rating 5 out of 5]

Een waanzinnig interessant boek. Heb tijdens het lezen van dit boek ontzettend veel geleerd en me iedere keer weer verbaasd over de prachtige röntgenfoto's. Bijzonder om te zien hoe dieren zo verschillend kunnen lijken van de buitenkant, maar van binnen juist heel anders zijn. De teksten zijn informatief geschreven, maar met hier en daar een grapje of iets geks zijn ze verre van saai.

[Jürgen Peeters · Rating 4 out of 5]

Mijn recensie van 'Binnenstebinnen' verscheen op 'Cutting Edge':

http://www.cuttingedge.be/boekenstrip...

[Kate · Rating 5 out of 5]

INSIDE IN is a facinating and wonderous look underneath natures surface. This incredible book uses x-ray techniques to capture animals in their natural surroundings and then provides a detailed description of what you are seeing. It's amazing to see! My children have been obsessed with this book, and I myself have been quite captivated as well.
It contains images of anthropods and mollusks, fish, amphibians, reptiles, birds, and mammals. Unlike any animal/nature book you will ever read, INSIDE IN offers something unique to the reader, a chance to look closer than ever before at the miraculous phenomenon of the natural world. Highly reccomend this one! The pictures have an eeriness to them that makes this a great Halloween gift too! Swipe to see a peek inside.

Thank you so much to @greystonekidsbooks for sending us this book!

For more of my book content check out instagram.com/bookalong

[Mehsi · Rating 5 out of 5]

Een supermooi (soms een beetje luguber als ze niet de rontgen maar echte dode dieren laten zien) boek over allerlei dieren en hoe zij er van binnen uit zien! Ik vond het wel jammer dat er niet een beetje meer variatie was in de dieren, maar ik snap ook wel dat gezien dit een hobby is, hij niet zomaar een tijger of wolf of andere meer exotische beesten kan krijgen. Zou nog wel erg leuk zijn.
Ik vond het ook leuk dat heel veel dingen zo mooi in scene zijn gezet. Net alsof hij er toevallig was met het apparaat. :P
Zeker dus een aanrader, ook omdat er veel informatie bij elke foto staat. Ik hoop dat er meer boeken komen!

[Jacob Schmitt · Rating 3 out of 5]

What kid won't be fascinated by looking at "X-Rays of Nature's Hidden World?" Especially if these x-rays are staged in captivating settings with flowers and foliage? One thing is guaranteed, readers will no longer look at owls the same underneath all that fluff, for they resemble something akin to vultures! Starting out small, the x-rays photos cover arthropods, mollusks, fish, reptiles, birds, and some medium-sized mammals.

Arie van 't Riet took his time in crafting these photographs, and we are fortunate enough to display this title in our library. Having that said, Schutten's writing is a little too playful and verbose. True, it is good for writing to be interactive and have jokes embedded, especially since nonfiction works can be incredibly dry. However, the ratio of facts and comedic tangents is a little unfortunate.

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

A visually stunning and fascinating look at x-rays of a wide range of creatures in the animal kingdom -- it's a great science book for children 8-12 years old, especially those interested in animals. The book is full, reaching 136 page, but is also nicely organized and indexed. The x-rays (and coordinating text) are arranged by type of creature: arthropods & mollusks, fish, amphibians, reptiles, birds, then mammals. The narrative itself is rich and engaging -- the narrator talks to the reader and asks questions, keeping interest in a kid-friendly tone without being patronizing. It's all really well done and a unique look at animals! I hope lots of little readers get their hands on this one.

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

[Ryan Miller · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is not the type of book I normally read, because books like this tend be dry, factual and (frankly) a bit boring. Not so here. The text by Jan Paul Schutten (cleverly translated from Dutch to English by Laura Watkinson) is engaging as well as informative, with wordplay, jokes and asides to accompany lots of items of interest.

(Incidentally, kudos to Watkinson for her translation. An excellent translation may not make a book succeed, but a poor translation can make reading a slog.)

And the X-ray photos of Arie van ‘t Riet are phenomenal, both in what they reveal and how they are composed.

[Karen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Photographer Arie van’t Riet has taken X-ray photographs of animals that are informative and almost beautiful. Animals are divided into classes, e.g., amphibians, mammals, birds, and the author injects a little humor into the descriptions which helps when readers realize that all the X-rays were taken of dead animals. A fascinating look inside animals which shows that some animals look eerily similar on the inside and that birds look a lot bigger than they are because of their feathers. A fresh take on the classic animal book.

[Rachel · Rating 3 out of 5]

** 2.5 stars **

The xrays and coloring were very cool, and I learned some very interesting facts about the animals that were highlighted. But the text got a bit wordy and long at times. I'm not convinced that young readers would be as enthralled with the text as they would be with the images. That's not a bad thing, but they would be missing interesting details that could have been given more succintly.

[Jamieson · Rating 4 out of 5]

A cool that looks at x-rays of various animals. We get arthropods and mollusks, fish, ampibians, reptiles, birds and mammals. Each featured species gets a photo and at least one page talking about it. Great for all ages, simple enough for kids (or anyone just looking at the pictures), but in-depth enough that it doesn't feel like watered down kids stuff. A great little book that looks at a different side of our world.

[Heidi · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is filled with super secret facts you could never learn if you judged an animal by their cover! I love, love, love all the random but fun things I learned. Looking at an animal’s skeleton tells you so much more than you would guess! Really informative, and fun!

[BiblioBrandie · Rating 3 out of 5]

A visually intriguing book that will attract all kinds of readers. The text is lengthy though and definitely will be a challenge for many middle grade readers. Not sure most will read it, honestly, but will enjoy the images.

[Erikka · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very cool concept and an immediate referral to my science crazy nephews. It’s fun to see the animals from the inside and the captions were well written and would keep the attention of a school age kid.

[Angie · Rating 3 out of 5]

The photos were amazing, but this was a bit too text heavy. I think it would have been more effective in a different format especially for the age it is aimed at.

[Cromaine Library · Rating 5 out of 5]

My daughter loved looking at all the photos of animal x-rays! It's presented in a really interesting and aesthetically pleasing way.

Recommended by Community Relations Coordinator Amelia.

[Jessica · Rating 5 out of 5]

Every year I inevitably have a few students who ask me what their favorite animal looks like on the inside - this book will help so much. Highly recommended.

[Tanya Ouellette · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved the pictures of the book that help us a lot to visualize the interior of some very famous animals. The information inside is also very relevant for the little ones curious about animals

[Mary-Esther Lee · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fascinating images, though the text is rather lengthy. A good addition to any library.

[Alyssa]

I did not read this one cover to cover, but a very cool book with x-rays of all sorts of living things!

[Brenda Kahn]

The x-rays are the stars here. The text, while informative, is a bit wordy for the intended audience. Great book for browsing.

[Stephanie Tournas · Rating 4 out of 5]

Stunning x-ray photographs of animals reveal the structures beneath skin, scales, fur and shells. Arthropods and mollusks, fish, amphibians, reptiles, birds and mammals are shown in compositions mimicking their native habitat. Readers are invited to examine skeletal structures and learn about their functions, as related in the accompanying text. The photographs are fantastically clear, and in many of them it’s possible to see the ghostly shadow of the animal’s flesh – how cool!

The book include a table of contents, an index, and information on x-rays. Kids will be relieved to learn that the animals photographed were procured ethically.

Although the text accompanying the photographs offers valuable information, I tired of the jokiness of the language, and wished the author hadn’t tried so hard to be funny. I also would have appreciated some approximation of the scale of the animals, maybe in comparison with human anatomy. I think that would help readers better understand the size of the creatures portrayed.

[Sandy Brehl · Rating 4 out of 5]

The author note/introduction indicates how rare and demanding of expertise these photographic images are. They inspired a book proposal, and the text that accompanies the images is accessible and informative for middle grade readers. There will undoubtedly be many who read the page titles and examine the images intensely but skip the reading. However, that very close scrutiny is likely to prompt trueing to the text to answer questions that arise, learning more in the process about animals, plants, and anatomy.
The images are organized with solid scientific thinking, classifying and categorizing so that each section reveals information about groups of animals and their commonalities as well as distinct adaptations and structures.
Apart from that, the images are stunningly beautiful in unique ways, and there are certainly going to be kids who claim this is their favorite book, potentially inspiring further study. I appreciated the opening notes about the ways in which the photographer acquired subjects without causing harm (or death) to the individual lives in the collection.

[Yvon · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wat een prachtig boek! Arie van 't Riet maakte prachtige röntgenfoto's van allerlei dieren. Deze zijn verzameld in dit boek. Toen ik dit boek opendeed, heb ik eerst alle platen bekeken. Alle details van de dieren en ook planten zijn haarscherp te zien. Daarna de tekst gelezen en wat fijn dat je als lezer wordt meegenomen in het boek. Er worden vragen gesteld aan de lezer waardoor deze heel erg betrokken raakt bij het boek. Alles bij elkaar een prachtig boek die zeker aan te raden is! (11e boek voor boekenbingo 2018)

[Jantine · Rating 4 out of 5]

een supergaaf boek! Heel fascinerend om die rontgenfoto's te bekijken en de interessante en grappige weetjes erbij te lezen. Toch krijgt dit boek van mij geen 5 sterren... waarom? omdat ik vind dat de schrijver soms iets te populair wil doen en teveel actuele zaken gebruikt. Dat maakt het boek niet zo tijdloos als het zou moeten zijn...

[Emily · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5 stars.

The information in this book is great and the photos are STUNNING, I just wish that more of them were like the song bird page that comapred the realistic photo of the animal with the x-ray model. Otherwise this was a great read, interesting and educational.

[Janet · Rating 5 out of 5]

Bijna magische foto's vergezeld door grappige, informatieve en leerzame teksten.

[Sarah · Rating 5 out of 5]

For older kids, but the pictures of x-rays might entrance even younger ones if paired with the right lesson.