From a lovely story about nature’s greatest escape artist – the smart octopus to antifreeze fish and shimmering lagoons in the Okavango Delta to Rewilding stories at Bedtime, here is our favourite list for Spring reading.
Let’s Save the Okavango Delta: Why we must protect our planet by Catherine Barr & Jean Claude
Big topics and Beautiful Illustrations. Perfect combination!
Love this video with sounds from the Okavango Delta. Wonderful inspiration and the perfect way to bring calmness and wonder. It feels almost like you are there visiting this important and beautiful place.
Rewild the World at Bedtime: Hopeful Stories from Mother Nature by Emily Hawkins & Ella Beech
This book has just been published, so we have only read a few stories. But we love this book about the power of conservation. Delighted that there was a bedtime story about The Return of the Sea Otters. This story is perfect to dive deeper into this awesome creature while reading our book Orla’s Golden Blanket: Sea Otters’ Secret to a Bright Blue Future.
The Octopus Escapes by Maile Meloy & Felicita Sala
A great book for octopus fans and lovers of My Octopus Teacher.
Anti-Freeze, Leaf Costumes, and Other Fabulous Fish Adaptations by Laura Perdew & Katie Mazeica
Laura Perdew writes the most engaging science books for children. This one is about the adaptations of fish. Love it. She has also written Biodiversity: Explore the Diversity of Life on Earth With Environmental Science Activities for Kids, which is perfect for a little bit older children.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is biomimicry?
Biomimicry is the practice of looking to nature for solutions, then applying what we learn to design and problem-solving. Instead of inventing from scratch, it means studying how plants, animals, and ecosystems have already solved a challenge — like staying cool, collecting water, or absorbing carbon — and adapting that strategy for human use.
How does biomimicry help address climate change?
Nature has been adapting to extreme conditions for billions of years, so many organisms already hold working solutions to problems we now face at a larger scale — cooling buildings without electricity (termite mounds), collecting water in drought (the Namib beetle), protecting coastlines from storms (mangrove roots), and capturing carbon (corals, forests, kelp). Biomimicry means studying those solutions and applying the same principles to human design.
How can children get involved in biomimicry?
Children don’t need special training to think like a biomimicrist — just curiosity and a habit of asking “how does nature solve this?” Simple ways to start include a backyard scavenger hunt for nature’s patterns, a “design-an-animal” challenge for a changing climate, or building a small model (like a passive-cooling structure or a water collector) inspired by something they’ve observed outdoors.
Is biomimicry only for scientists and engineers?
No — biomimicry is as much a mindset as a profession. Anyone can practice it by observing nature closely and asking design questions. Professional biomimicry practitioners apply it in architecture, materials science, and engineering, but the same core skill — careful observation followed by “what if we built it that way?” — is exactly what this post’s classroom and family activities are designed to build in children.
Åsa Jomård
In 2015, Åsa completed a course in Biomimicry: A Sustainable Design Methodology at Minneapolis College of Art and Design. With over 10 years of experience exploring nature for inspiration and as a former member of Ben, Biomimicry Education Network, she brings both academic background and creative teaching experience to her work. Her materials seamlessly integrate stories, nature observations, and design challenges, making them perfect for inquiry-led learning in early primary contexts.
AI was used as a Thinking Partner.