The Cartoon Guide to Biology

A highly enlightening visual explanation of complex biological processes, coupled with wonderful humour.

I bought this book for my 11 year old daughter to help her understand what she is being taught in school (for the first time) about plant and animal cells in biology. But it appears to me to be a book intended for a much older readership with prior knowledge. And not everything is explained clearly. I don't think this book should be read on its own, instead it may well serve to be most useful as support material to other textbooks for the young learner. The diagrams are good and compelling and the whole product is very nicely composed as a learning package. Some of the images of chemical bonding etc make absolutely no sense to the uninitiated (well not to my daughter anyway) and have none or very unclear explanations about why they are there at all. That said, I think this book will become increasingly valuable to my daughter as she gets older and studies biology at a higher level.

viene como mojado, maltratado...

I got this series of books for my daughter. She was quite interested in reading it since the pics in the cartoon book give her a good way to understand the concepts rather than large quantity of texts. Great recommendation for anyone who enjoys fun in science and math!

Excellent book and and a fine complement to the Cartoon Guide to Physics and the Cartoon Guide to Chemistry by the same author. I did not purchase the Kindle version, so I can't answer for the negative experience those readers have had. If you're buying the print version, this is a great book which comprehensively and accessibly breaks down a complex subject into easy - and amusing - chunks. It has certainly helped me reconnect with biology after many years. 5 stars!

Very often biology explanations for the layperson stop when things become interesting. Example, plants capture carbon and respiration releases carbon are trated as mere trivialities in a climate change discussion. However, how do plants capture carbon, or how do living organisms release carbon? This, and many other things, is explained in this cartoon guide. It is Larry Gonick's artistry at its best, and his scientific wit completed with Dave Wessner expertise. Their approach can be called bottom-up and mechanist. They start from the simplest molecules, and then zoom out to macro-molecules, then to the cell, the organ, the organism, and finally the environment. They do so in greater details for the first levels, because they want to explain the most universal mechanisms of life. And that is how they fully answer our layperson questions. Certainly, reading this guide requires an inclination for science, but it is the magic of Larry Gonick's cartoons to give a pleasant visage to complex names and formulas. In short, this cartoon guide belongs to the bookshelf of anyone is interested in biology: the student, the expert, or the just curious.

Anschauliche Erklärungen zur Ergänzung im Biologie Studium