Наука в коміксах. Коти. Природа і піклування

Science Comics

by Andy Hirsch, Енді Гірш

In Andy Hirsch's Science Comics: Cats, we meet feline friends from the tiniest kodkod to the biggest tiger, and find out what makes your neighborhood domestic cats so special. Equipped with teeth, claws, and camouflage to survive everywhere from deserts to mountaintops, how did these ferocious felines make the leap from predators to playmates... and are they even done leaping?

Every volume of Science Comics offers a complete introduction to a particular topic—dinosaurs, the solar system, robots, and more. Whether you're a fourth grader doing a natural science unit at school or a thirty year old with a secret passion for airplanes, these books are for you!

Genres: Graphic Novels, Science, Nonfiction, Animals, Childrens, Cats, Middle Grade

128 pages, Paperback

First published July 1, 2021

About the author

Andy 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.

Reviews

[Diz · Rating 5 out of 5]

This comic introduces kids to everything that they might want to know about cats. It covers the evolution and domestication of cats. There is a lot of information about the physical and psychological characteristics of cats as well. The art is really attractive and it deals with some of the more violent aspects of the nature of cats in a comical way. In one scene where a big cat it taking down large prey, the prey itself lifts up its head and makes a comment about how the artist shouldn't show the details because kids are reading it. Pretty funny! Even though the target audience of this book is kids, I think adults who love cats would really appreciate it as well.

[i have a problem · Rating 5 out of 5]

To był. Jeden z najlepszych komiksów, które miałam okazję przeczytać, naprawdę.

Przeczytałam go w godzinę młodszej siostrze, bo dostała taki komiks o kotkach na urodziny i oczekiwałam,,, Prawdopodobnie czegoś głupiutkiego i bardzo płytkiego. Tymczasem w malutką fabułę, a raczej ciekawostki na temat kotów, wyciągnęłam się bardziej, niż moja siostra. W czasie lektury dowiedziałam się więcej na temat kotów i biologii, niż przez ostatnie kilka lat nauki. To było niesamowite uchwycenie tak banalnego tematu, nie tylko poprzez ładną kreskę, ale również stosowanie czysto naukowych terminów (np. w bardzo przystępny sposób wyjaśniono to różnicę między genotypem a fenotypem). Książka, choć opowiada o kotkach, ostatecznie pokrywa bardzo szeroki temat ich historii, szlaku udomowienia i genetyki, co jest niezwykłe, w końcu to komiks dla dzieci.
Ale ja bawiłam się niezmiernie. Zabawne wstawki, bardzo rzeczowe i naukowe nakreślenie tematu, śliczne obrazki.

Doprawdy jeden z lepszych komiksów, jakie czytałam. Każdy biologiczny świr powinien to przeczytać, chociażby dla obejrzenia obrazków.

[Eleanor Beckett · Rating 5 out of 5]

henry read this book and said he was great! “i would like to buy this book and have it at my house it’s so good!”

[Sean · Rating 3 out of 5]

Fun, cute, and silly.

[Carla · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is another great addition to the Science Comics series. This book features wonderful illustrations with great information about how cats came to be the extremely popular pets we know and love. Bean, our narrator, is an adorable calico cat. By going back to the beginning of their appearance on earth, Bean teaches the readers about wild cats and domesticated cats. Even the evolution and genetic mutations and breeding of cats was shared in an interesting and somewhat humorous way. The information is interesting and presented in such a manner as to be accessible to both children and adults. It touches on behavior, genetics, evolution, habitats, and domestication/ It also shared what makes cats special, and answers some of the basic cat questions. How do their ears work? Why are their tongues like that? How do they always land on their feet? I was fascinated by the description and illustrations of how the "righting reflex" works. The discussion of nature vs nurture when it came to hunting was also quite interesting. The graphics are well done. They are colourful, a good mix of realistic and cartoony, and well used to help move the narrative along visually. Although this book is geared to children ages 8 and up, as an adult, I also found it quite interesting. This book would be a great addition to a classroom, school or public library. The publisher generously provided me with a copy of this book upon my request. The rating, ideas and opinions shared are my own.

[Kate · Rating 5 out of 5]

Well, this was cute and educational.

I love cats. I love science. So, when I saw this on Netgalley it was a no-brainer to request a free ARC, and fortunately it was granted. I was unfamiliar with this series, so I went in blind, but the art was great, the biological and evolutionary science information was accessible, yet not overly dumbed down (as a PhD student who has taken a lot of science, I didn't feel like it was overly simple, but it would make sense to the masses, too), and it was a good length. The educational aspects were told within a clever story of an alley cat turned famous cat, which was a cute idea.

The only thing I didn't love was that the story could've been more developed. I read most of it in one day and then came back to it the next day, and I thought I had accidentally jumped forward a bunch in my document because it was suddenly at the end and felt like a piece was missing. I went back a few pages to check if I had skipped something, and I hadn't. So, the ending was a bit abrupt. But that said, I loved it and I learned something new, so all in all, works for me.

Thanks Netgalley for the e-ARC!

[Helena Paciorek · Rating 4 out of 5]

bardzo ciekawy, daje miliard nowych, niezbyt popularnych ciekawostek na temat tych wspaniałych zwierząt

tlumaczy cięższe pojęcia w przystępny sposób, chociaż nie ukrywam, że czasami musiałam się zatrzymać i przeczytać coś parę razy, żeby zrozumieć w 100%

mam teraz nową pulę wiedzy i za chwilę zacznę zarzucać "kotkowymi ploteczkami" hahs

naprawdę interesująca, ale nie jest dla mnie jakimś przecudownym zachwytem

[Theresa · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read an ARC from First Second via NetGalley. I have read several books from the Science Comics series and some are better than others. This “cats” addition was a solid addition that was cute and informative. The illustrations were vibrant and I learned some new things about my favorite little carnivorous hunting machines. Middle school me would have loved this as a kid. I wanted a little more about the history of cats, but alas this is the science of cats, so it covered traits, genetics, domestication, breeding, etc. in a fun way. It has a nice intro in the front and a glossary with reference materials in the back. Best for grades 3-8.

[Benjamin]

How? Babe wanted to reread Dogs, but the library only had Cats, by the same author.

What? It's an interview with a stray kitten who has become a media star, who tells us all about cats, mostly the semi-domestics.

Yeah, so? It's fine for kids and cat lovers, of which I am neither. But it's really fine. No complaints, just nothing interesting to say.

[Malapata · Rating 5 out of 5]

Estupendo repaso a las particularidades, tanto físicas como de comportamiento, de los gatos. Pensado para los pequeños de la casa, pero interesante para todas las edades (si te gustan los gatos, claro).

[Rick · Rating 5 out of 5]

Cats. Cats. Cats. Everything a curious kid (or adult) could want to know about the (not completely) domesticated felines in our world. And even some interesting information about those felines that are at all domesticated. This is a fun-filled and entertaining read that is able to provide lots of information in small, digestible nuggets that should keep any readers interest.

[Elaine Fultz, Teacher Librarian, MLS · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wow! I learned so much. The students requested more of this series (we only had Trees), and they were so right. They all (Crows, Space, Rocks, etc.) were checked out immediately.

[Julia Madeja · Rating 4 out of 5]

nie dam 3 żeby nie obniżyć mu średniej oceny
zaskakująco dużo dowiedziałam się o kotach przez to

[Susan · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love every single Science Comics that I've read! They are just AWESOME.

This one has good info about how DNA/heredity works, too, so big win for me. Plus, come on, CATS!

[David Schwan · Rating 3 out of 5]

An overview of why Cats behave the way they do, and yes their claws are important. Learned a few things about felines that I was not expecting.

[Lianne · Rating 5 out of 5]

Cute and informative graphic nonfiction

[Lucy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Amazing book! I liked it a lot!

[Tetiana Hula · Rating 5 out of 5]

Дуже класна книжечка про котів. Я хоч і вважала себе котознавцем і котолюбом із досвідом, але все ж знайшла і для себе в ній багато цікавої інформації, яка дозволяє глянути на цих істот дещо з іншого боку. Доньці (4 роки) книжка теж сподобалась і хоч вона для неї ще дещо заскладна, але все одно їй було цікаво і деякі речі вона засвоїла

[Barbara · Rating 3 out of 5]

This one, a much-needed addition to the Science Comics collection, focuses on felines and their innate nature. Guided by Bean, once a stray kitten living by her wits on the streets and now an Internet star--a nod to all those cat videos posted online--readers travel to various parts of the world to meet different types of cats to learn what they have in common and how they differ from one another. Much of the book explores whether cats truly are domesticated since they are equipped with various tools that allows them to fend for themselves if necessary. And it just might be possible that they have trained us instead of the other way around. As the book and foreword acknowledge, cats are essentially predators designed to hunt. This makes sense when we consider much of their behavior. Although I loved cats before reading this book, I came away from it feeling even more impressed by my feline friends. One of the most interesting parts of the book concerned how cats behave toward other animals with whom they've been raised. Even when the species is one that most cats would regard as a natural enemy or even prey, for instance, a rat, they tend to treat the animal as a sibling. Perhaps there is a solid lesson for all of us in this behavior and awareness.

[Elfo-oscuro · Rating 5 out of 5]

He disfrutado mucho su lectura. Tengo varios gatos y los tenia siempre presentes al leer. Más que recomendable

[Elise · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is from of the Science Comics series which explores information about different science subjects including, dinosaurs, bats, dogs, robots and drones, the brain, trees, rockets, sharks and more. This book “Cats” is about cats giving information about cats abilities, physical characteristics, behaviors, and why cats are the way they are from an evolutionary perspective. The book is narrated by Bean, a famous calico house cat, who is telling her personal story using the information about cats to help explain her behavior and situation. The book also explores the fascinating area of nature vs. nurture and how this effects cats behaviors. Also the book talks about the cats relationship with humans and how that has changed over the years. In addition to being highly informative, the also book was humorous, well told and creatively drawn. The author blended the story line and information about the subject seamlessly creating a prefect blend of information and entertainment. I would highly recommend reading this book and others in the series.

Because of the depth and complexity of topics covered in this book, the book is more appropriate for middle school and high school readers. Though 5th graders, particularly the advanced readers and those interested in science, could also read this book because the comic book format and well explained text would help provide support. In the classroom, this book would be an excellent resource for students who are doing research on cats. Other books in the series would also be great for information research on other subjects. As an alternative to writing an informational research paper students could also create their own informational comic books on various subjects modeled after this book.

I chose this book for my information wow book for all the reasons above but especially because it was such and ingenues way to present information and was so much fun to read. I have stayed up late reading books from this series many times since I picked them up. My other favorite was the book on trees. It was about an acorn who was not sure he wanted to be a tree. I would highly recommend reading books in this series.

[Becky B · Rating 4 out of 5]

Narrated by a cat, this book provides a look at cat’s physical traits, habits, abilities and preferences, and genetics (with a little lesson on genetics and how that relates to domestic vs wild cats and different cat breeds).

A nice graphic novel creatively told but very informational that tells you all about cats. I would’ve gobbled this up as a cat-obsessed middle grader or teen. I still enjoyed it. The science is very solid, and this would be an especially good supplemental read for anyone studying high school biology genetics. (The vocabulary may throw some unfamiliar with terms like genotype, phenotype, etc. Having taught more HS biology classes on genetics than I can count over the years I got things right away, but I know the average reader won’t. I’d venture a guess that the average middle grade or teen reader would skim that part, get some things but not much (unless they’ve already gone over these terms a few times), still enjoy the book, but would need more in depth teaching to really get what is being talked about. In my experience phenotype and genotype tend to boil the brains of average teens, and they need several different examples of each and how they relate to really understand.) This would be a great resource for someone doing a report on cats, a fantastic read for a curious reader, something a cat lover would swoon over, and an informative read appealing to graphic novel readers who may not normally touch nonfiction.

Notes on content [based on ARC]: Some discussion of predation but nothing super gory on page.

I received an ARC of this title from the publisher through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

[Natasha · Rating 4 out of 5]

Delightful graphic novel all about cats, their domestication, physiology, behaviours, and our strange fascination with them. The graphic novel is a really compelling and accessible format for kids to engage with complex science. I read this to my six- and three year old boys and had to stop and explain quite a few concepts during the readaloud. It didn't take away from the experience, it just provided a platform for a little more science discussion which is always welcomed in our home. We also sometimes stopped and Youtubed some things which really added to the experience - videos of a cheetah chasing after a springbok or videos of different cat species and how articifical selection has resulted in so many different cat phenotypes. It took us about two weeks of before bedtime reading to finish the book but if I judge it by how much my boys asked for the book, it definitely gets a two thumbs up from me. On to the next Science Comic! According to the Moongazer, we will be reading "Brains"

[Sarah · Rating 4 out of 5]

Absolutely essential reading for anyone who has or loves cats! I've lived with them for most of my life and I still learned tons.

This comic isn't just a fact dump; we follow the story of Bean, a homeless kitten turned internet celebrity, as she explains how her rise from survival to super-stardom couldn't have happened without her keen predatory instincts (nature) and ability to adapt to social environments from solitude to kitty crowds to beloved pet (nurture). It's a super cute way to get tons of information--and answers to so many questions I've had over the years but had just written off as adorable, inexplicable quirks.

For those of you more canine-inclined, Andy Hirsch has also done a Science Comic about dogs. I haven't read that one, but I'd been looking forward to Cats ever since it first came up in the metadata audit seven months ago. I am delighted to say that it's so much more interesting and wonderful than I even expected. Go forth and learn!

[Cami · Rating 4 out of 5]

This graphic novel includes many fun facts that I already knew about cats and plenty that I didn't—plus the art style is adorable! I would highly recommend it to all of the cat lovers out there, and I'd be curious to see what other books this artist has illustrated. I was very impressed, especially after learning that the illustrator is allergic to cats! Every feline in this book is rendered in such loving detail that I would have expected someone constantly surrounded by cats to have drawn them. My favorite moments—the ones that made me pause and consider taking notes on how to draw it myself—were when the cats yawned and exposed their teeth and curling tongues. This book has solidified my love for cats and inspired me to learn more about (drawing) them.

[Sesana · Rating 4 out of 5]

A solid entry in the series. There's a fictional framing device, which is not something I love in this series, but it's very lightly used. The story of rescued cat Bean is used to walk readers through cat biology and behavior, and it does so in a fairly natural way. Hirsch does a great job of bringing in a huge variety of both domesticated and wild cats in the examples she uses. The science seems solid and is communicated clearly without dumbing it down. The art is cartoony without making the cats unrecognizable as what they are: a lion is clearly a lion, and looks very different from a cheetah.

[Ann · Rating 4 out of 5]

Excellent! An informative look at cats and domestication. I liked this one a lot more than the Science Comics: Dogs, I think they had a much better handle on the potential audience. The science was more upper elementary than the high-school genetics in Dogs, with a focus on cats in particular, and only touching on the broader concept of nature/nurture, which I thought was an appropriate choice. The framing story of a stray cat narrating her life story was also well-thought out and provided natural segues into the science without wrenching us from story to science and back again.

[Ellen Scheid · Rating 5 out of 5]

Written for a juvenile audience, Science Comics: Cats: Nature and Nurture is an informative, beautifully illustrated, and adorable comic that can be read by all ages. The story line follows Bean, a little calico kitten, as she explains all that she knows about cats and how she came to be a viral hit.

When I saw this come across my desk at work I knew I had to check it out. Even though I have had cats all my life, I learned a great deal from reading this book. This is a great read for all the cat lovers out there.

[Sara · Rating 4 out of 5]

I learned a lot! And some of the illustrations were just genius, especially the panel showing the spectrum of purr vs roar among different species of cats

I will say that I had some issues with the intro! For one it perpetuated the myth that there was witch/cat hunting in medieval times when that didn't happen until the 17th century, which is early modern era. Also the intro said it would delve into some things that the book ended up not covering. But those quibbles are small, considering most youth would probably just skip to the comics part :)

[Kelly]

Might have to purchase this for my non-fiction lover. Found Z reading it first thing in the morning - makes my heart happy. Already requested another in the series on her second-favorite topic: Coral Reefs!

Illustrations really emphasize the information from the text - work hand-in-hand so readers develop understanding. Interesting tidbits about many cat species. Enjoyable and educational - the best pair!