Basher Science: Biology: Life as We Know It [With Poster]

by Dan Green and Simon Basher

Book Overview

Basher Science: Biology, Life As We Know It created and illustrated by Simon Basher, Written by Dan Green:

Nature's building blocks have never been more sociable than in this newest offering from the creators of The Periodic Table and Physics. From cells to DNA, from viruses to mammals, from chlorophyll to flowers and fruit, and including the human body's parts and systems, Biology is a single volume BIO101 course. Distinctive characters,...

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0753462532
• ISBN13: 9780753462539
• Release Date: September 2008
• Publisher: Kingfisher
• Length: 128 Pages
• Weight: 0.60 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.4" x 7.1" x 7.0"
• Age Range: 10 to 14 years
• Grade Range: Grades 5 to 9

Customer Reviews

Great book but,

Book is in great condition. However the description said the poster would be included and it was not. All in all we are satisfied with purchase.

Analogies and metaphors make rudimentary concepts stick

I highly recommend this book for any elementary aged child. It is not as thorough as a text or even a typical non-fiction book, but it introduces many basic ideas in a way that children will remember. I wasn't so sure about a science book with cartoons, but the first person text sold me. My daughter had an instant connection with the characters in the book, giving me confidence that she will remember them when she is old enough to learn about them in a more complex academic setting. Topics include the building blocks of life, classification of organisms, body parts, and parts of green shoots. I am giving this four stars instead of five because I feel like more thought could have been given to the organization of the book. Perhaps the main categories are too broad. For example, there are entries for the cell, mitochondria, DNA, and RNA, but not other cell parts such as the nucleus, cell walls/membranes, vacuoles, and so on. Overall, this is an entertaining and informative book well suited for children aged 6 to 12.

Wonderful series, and Biology is a great addition to the series.

My 6-y-o son adores this series and this title has become a special favorite. A previous reviewer criticized the book; indeed, I do not disagree that readers capable of accessing academic texts at the high school level may find this series less than educational. However, this series fills a unique niche of making science fun for visual learners -- and perhaps most importantly, for learners who cannot (like my son, who has autism) yet access such topics without the lure of interesting graphic art and short, easily-recalled descriptions. Other titles (like The Periodic Table) do not suffer from such criticism as the Pokemon-like illustrations may indeed prove a memory aid even for facile readers. This book and its sister volumes are a tremendous value for young readers as well as adults who would like to encourage exploration in science themes as well as help de-mystify often out-of-reach concepts for those readers.

Very Cute & Educational!

I purchased this for myself and my daughter and then I purchased 1 for my sister. The illustrations and the way the information is presented is like no other. Love it!

Great little guidebook!

I have good news for fans of the quirky kid's guide to chemistry, "The Periodic Table, Elements with Style". Kingfisher Publishing has produced two related books, which cover biology and physics. The artist known simply as Basher has teamed up with a new writing partner, Dan Green. These pocket sized guidebooks are captivating and make a real impression on kids. Because the books are formatted in the same way, I am reviewing them together. Both books have about 120 pages plus a glossary. The left hand page usually has a topic, a few bullet points on it, and two paragraphs presenting information from the point of view of the topic. Each subject has it's own personality and the right hand page has a personified illustration of that subject. In the Biology book, Sperm, for instance, says, "I'm a little guy with a big job." For those who wish to consider the appropriateness of the books for younger children, he does get a bit more specific. "I Start out in one of the two testes, a man's sperm factories, and travel upstream towards the penis... If everything is going swimmingly, I enter a female body and it takes an hour or so to get to Egg." The whimsical cartoony illustration shows a smiling tadpole-like creature wearing sunglasses. There is also a tiny, simplified 1" tall rendering of the male reproductive system. The information on Egg and Baby in Womb is also quite simple but may be upsetting to some. "Biology, Life as We Know It" also contains a small pull out poster of the body systems. Some examples of other topics in the biology book include Skin, Nails, Reptiles, Liver, and Flower. The physics book is titled, "Physics, Why Matter Matters" and it has definitions of terms like Kinetic Energy, Frequency, Alpha Particle, and Gravity. The introduction notes, "Physics is all about knowing -or trying to find out- what makes the universe tick. It started out with some naturally nosy people who wanted to know..." The description of Force says that it, "Gangs up with Mass and Acceleration to push things about." Infrared boasts, "You can run but you can't hide. I'm the original heatseeker and I'm out to give you a good grilling!" These books might help older students memorize details just as well as they inform and entertain younger children. Highly recommended!

Kids Xmas present

Good product to help my kid in school, as a Chemistry major I liked the depth and scope of this product and the manner in which it relates the material to younger audinces!