Review by Booklist Review
The author of Dreaming Up (2012) and Water Land (2018) returns to structure and nature, this time merging them to introduce the concept of biomimicry. Fifteen tanka, a Japanese poetry format with five unrhymed lines, describe an animal, plant, or natural structure that has inspired humans to invent something similar for their own use. Each double-page spread contains one poem on a page illustrated with textured, digital artwork highlighting the natural element in play, while the facing page bears a color photograph of the architecture or technology created in that element's likeness. Brief notes accompany the photographs, clearly describing the connection between the paired illustrations. Examples include a bullet train that resembles the quiet, streamlined kingfisher; a smog-absorbing shell of a building that functions like porous sea sponges and corals; and space-saving cars that fold up like armadillos. Concluding thumbnails offer more information on each pair, such as the physical characteristics of animals, building locations, and technology behind inventions. Author's notes also explain biomimicry and the tanka format in more detail. A true STEAM book.
From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Review by Horn Book Review
Hale (Water Land, rev. 7/18) introduces readers to biomimicry through fifteen examples found in everyday life as well as state-of-the-art design and engineering. Each left-hand page features a tanka poem paired with a relief print illustration of a plant or animal; on the right, a captioned photograph of a human-made creation showcases the biomimicry involved. So "lotus leaf spreads wide / waxy surface repels rain" faces a photo of a child with an umbrella; and "shy armadillo / overlapping scales rolled tight / a snug little ball / folds up so efficiently" precedes a picture of a fold-up, space-saving car. Hale's accessible tanka poems pack a lot into five lines. The softness of her detailed relief prints effectively contrasts with photographs highlighting human invention. Extensive back matter includes additional information for each example, a detailed explanation of the tanka format, and numerous source notes. Eric Carpenter November/December 2022 p.100(c) Copyright 2022. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
(c) Copyright The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Review by Kirkus Book Review
Some of the best ideas in the world have their origins in nature. This delicious picture book pairs attractive illustrations of natural phenomena--such as a honeycomb or the way a desert beetle condenses water on its shell to store it for later--with photographs of the human-made creations inspired by them (a hexagonal low-income housing project in Slovenia, a water bottle). Innovative ideas from around the world are showcased: A Chilean park installation that took inspiration from stalactites and stalagmites; smaller, quieter Tunisian wind converters based on the figure-eight motion of a hummingbird's wings in flight; and a Zimbabwean office building that borrows its heating and cooling arrangement from termite mounds are some of the intriguing innovations humans have adapted from nature (backmatter explains that this is called biomimicry). The text is in the tanka format, a Japanese form of poetry usually without punctuation or capitalization, with a set number of lines and syllables per line--a dynamic choice that underscores the observation and free-association thinking necessary to see the possibilities of the natural world. Two appended double-page spreads offer more in-depth explanations of the topics explored. (This book was reviewed digitally.) Inspiring, lovely to look at, and well presented. (sources, photo credits) (Informational picture book/poetry. 5-9) Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
