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Dive into the vibrant world of biology with the Amoeba Sisters’ Cartoon Guide to Biology, a delightful fusion between the fun of a comic book and the fundamentals of a textbook. Authored by the dynamic sister duo behind the beloved Amoeba Sisters YouTube channel, this guide features 24 major concepts commonly taught in life sciences courses. Designed to alleviate the intimidation often associated with complex science concepts, this guide employs amusing mnemonics, real-world examples, and humorous anecdotes to make biology more approachable and relatable.
If you’re ready to learn biology like you never have before, it’s time to put on your peripheral protein party hats and dive in!
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If you do not have the ability to purchase our book in your area, please contact our publisher for more information on their form HERE.
If not using our link buttons, please double check the ISBN number!
If not using our direct button links above, please double check that the book you purchase has this ISBN number: 9781684816552 as scam listings (with fake books) can pop up online: please report any suspected fake listings to Mango Publishing.
Look Inside Our Book |
Videos & More that Complement
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Book Q&A
What age is this book created for?
This book is for ALL wanting to learn biology and age need not be a defining factor for our biology content. But we can describe the level because, like our videos, we do tend to have a level that we direct our content towards. Similar to our videos, our book is directed for high school introductory biology students, which tends to be students aged 14-16. We receive a lot of feedback that our videos are useful for introductory biology at the college level as well (our channel's college audience has grown significantly), so we also think this book provides a great refresher or foundation piece beyond high school.
How would you describe this book in one sentence?
We'd describe it as a fusion of the fun of a comic book and the fundamentals of a textbook that focuses on 24 major concepts commonly taught in biology.
Just a note: if you aren't familiar with our biology videos on YouTube, it is styled very similar in illustrations and wording, often utilizing our video scripting. (Oops, now we have more than 1 sentence.)
Just a note: if you aren't familiar with our biology videos on YouTube, it is styled very similar in illustrations and wording, often utilizing our video scripting. (Oops, now we have more than 1 sentence.)
What topics does your book cover? Does it align to any specific standards?
Here are the topics of our book, organized into 24 chapters. The 24 chapters represent the 24 major concepts that Pinky taught in biology, and we think it provides an excellent foundation for biology.
Does your book align to any specific area's standards?
Amoeba Sisters is a global YouTube channel and biology standards can vary globally, though major concepts taught in introductory biology (listed above in the book chapters) tend to overlap. Our channel's videos and our book can support many biology standards as it can provide foundational content, but we do not strive to align to a specific set. Many standards will challenge students to apply a concept (for example: to model a biological process, to apply a concept to a real event situation, etc), and students also need opportunities such as lab activities and discussions. To see a list of the standards our videos can help support - and how this can be organized by book chapter - please visit HERE.
- Biological Levels
- Biomolecules
- Enzymes
- Cell Basics and Organelles
- Cell Membranes
- Cell Transport
- Cellular Respiration
- Photosynthesis
- DNA
- DNA Replication
- The Cell Cycle
- Cell Division (focuses on mitosis and meiosis)
- Genetics (focuses on Mendelian and non-Mendelian)
- RNA and Protein Synthesis
- Mutations
- Biotechnology
- Evolution: Mechanisms and Evidence
- Viruses
- Domain Bacteria and Domain Archaea
- Domain Eukarya: Fungi, "Protists," Plants, and Animals
- Plants: Diversity, Structure, and Reproduction
- Ecology (focuses on multiple ecology topics such as ecological relationships, food webs/pyramids, ecological succession, and biogeochemical cycles)
- Body Systems Overview
- Homeostasis
Does your book align to any specific area's standards?
Amoeba Sisters is a global YouTube channel and biology standards can vary globally, though major concepts taught in introductory biology (listed above in the book chapters) tend to overlap. Our channel's videos and our book can support many biology standards as it can provide foundational content, but we do not strive to align to a specific set. Many standards will challenge students to apply a concept (for example: to model a biological process, to apply a concept to a real event situation, etc), and students also need opportunities such as lab activities and discussions. To see a list of the standards our videos can help support - and how this can be organized by book chapter - please visit HERE.
How might a student use this book?
These will be major concepts that you cover in most introductory biology courses. Here is a sequence of steps we suggest when using this book to help you study.
1. Select a chapter that you are wanting to focus on.
2. Set aside a block of distraction-free time and silence the phone. Set a timer for a block of time (we recommend no longer than 45 minutes) to delve into a single chapter.
3. As you read, take note of biology vocabulary words that you don't know; the glossary can be your friend with this. You may want to write the vocabulary words down on a piece of paper to quiz yourself on (or check out our vocabulary cards which are coming soon!) as biology has a lot of vocabulary.
4. The comics are designed to help make the content memorable. With every comic you see, ask yourself, "What is this comic trying to show? What is the science behind it?" That helps you connect the illustrations with the content, and we find that can help it stick in your mind.
5. When you come to the end of the chapter, you'll first notice "Something to Think About." Reflect for a moment on this part. This section connects the content to why it matters (because it's so much more than "just for a test") or how it is connected with other concepts.
6. Next, you'll notice a "Stumbling Blocks" section where you can read common misconceptions that students encounter about the topic. Did you have any of these misconceptions? If you didn't have the misconception, does reading this common misconception make you think about the content a little differently?
7. Finally, take a look at the "Before You Turn the Page" section. Answer those out loud for yourself. Are there any that you don't know? That is a good indicator to go back and re-read the section that you may need to see again.
1. Select a chapter that you are wanting to focus on.
2. Set aside a block of distraction-free time and silence the phone. Set a timer for a block of time (we recommend no longer than 45 minutes) to delve into a single chapter.
3. As you read, take note of biology vocabulary words that you don't know; the glossary can be your friend with this. You may want to write the vocabulary words down on a piece of paper to quiz yourself on (or check out our vocabulary cards which are coming soon!) as biology has a lot of vocabulary.
4. The comics are designed to help make the content memorable. With every comic you see, ask yourself, "What is this comic trying to show? What is the science behind it?" That helps you connect the illustrations with the content, and we find that can help it stick in your mind.
5. When you come to the end of the chapter, you'll first notice "Something to Think About." Reflect for a moment on this part. This section connects the content to why it matters (because it's so much more than "just for a test") or how it is connected with other concepts.
6. Next, you'll notice a "Stumbling Blocks" section where you can read common misconceptions that students encounter about the topic. Did you have any of these misconceptions? If you didn't have the misconception, does reading this common misconception make you think about the content a little differently?
7. Finally, take a look at the "Before You Turn the Page" section. Answer those out loud for yourself. Are there any that you don't know? That is a good indicator to go back and re-read the section that you may need to see again.
How might a classroom or homeschool teacher use this book?
Class set, anyone? Each chapter is definitely shorter than a textbook as it focuses on the essentials, and this book provides a foundation of information in a fun, engaging way (with cartoons) that also encourages literacy. The "Before You Turn the Page" section (at the end of every chapter) lists the main objectives students should be able to answer. Consider having students get creative with the "Before You Turn the Page" section! For example, a student could create a product (they can illustrate a picture, write something that rhymes, record a podcast episode, etc) to answer the "Before You Turn the Page" section! If you are a classroom teacher with many students, you can put your students into groups to create products to answer the different objectives on the page and then have them share with the class. If your area focuses on specific biology standards (which vary globally), provide students with the standard and ask them to relate the concepts they just learned from the chapter to the standard. This can make for a great discussion! Remember that our videos really complement our book, and we have more practice available if you're interested - find all that organized HERE.
We do want to emphasize our book provides a foundation for biology but focuses on the essentials. Discussions and labs centered on these topics can be a great way to dive in deeper. Textbooks can also be useful for diving into more details or exploring topics that may be more advanced (for example, the types of cell signaling is an advanced topic not covered in this book). Want a textbook recommendation for diving into more details? Our favorite textbook for exploring beyond is the free, peer-reviewed OpenStax biology textbook (no affiliation) based at Rice University. https://openstax.org/books/biology-2e/pages/1-introduction
We do want to emphasize our book provides a foundation for biology but focuses on the essentials. Discussions and labs centered on these topics can be a great way to dive in deeper. Textbooks can also be useful for diving into more details or exploring topics that may be more advanced (for example, the types of cell signaling is an advanced topic not covered in this book). Want a textbook recommendation for diving into more details? Our favorite textbook for exploring beyond is the free, peer-reviewed OpenStax biology textbook (no affiliation) based at Rice University. https://openstax.org/books/biology-2e/pages/1-introduction
What makes this book unique?
Let us list the ways:
- Over 500 cartoons! Seriously. Petunia's pseudopodia are sore.
- A section at the end of each chapter that focuses on "Stumbling Blocks" - addressing misconceptions that students may have (and, a few that Pinky had!)
- A section at the end of each chapter called "Before You Turn the Page" so students know what they should master before progressing to the next chapter
- A glossary of over 250 words that have brief, general definitions.
- The humor you find in our videos.
- Pinky and Petunia sisterhood comics at the beginning of each chapter to introduce the start of each topic.
- The chapters work great with our Amoeba Sisters videos that we create on YouTube; see the alignment of videos to book chapter here!
Can you provide information about bulk orders?
For special orders, quantity sales, course adoptions and corporate sales, please email the publisher (Mango) at [email protected]. For trade and wholesale sales, please contact Ingram Publisher Services at [email protected] or +1.800.509.4887.
I want to order from Amazon UK and/or Amazon Canada but it notes a later shipment date (or "temporarily out of stock").
We reported this to our publisher, and they told us they are working on this. If you find do not have the ability to purchase our book in your area, you can also contact our publisher for more information on their form HERE.
In the meantime, our book is also available as an e-book through both Barnes and Noble & Amazon (including Amazon CA and Amazon UK):
E-book Listings:
Barnes & Noble: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/the-amoeba-sisters-cartoon-guide-to-biology-sarina-peterson/1145703511
Amazon: https://a.co/d/4Npp696
Amazon UK: https://amzn.eu/d/0fbOVCzd
Amazon CA: https://a.co/d/60yglLv
In the meantime, our book is also available as an e-book through both Barnes and Noble & Amazon (including Amazon CA and Amazon UK):
E-book Listings:
Barnes & Noble: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/the-amoeba-sisters-cartoon-guide-to-biology-sarina-peterson/1145703511
Amazon: https://a.co/d/4Npp696
Amazon UK: https://amzn.eu/d/0fbOVCzd
Amazon CA: https://a.co/d/60yglLv
What about shipping to Australia, New Zealand, India, Thailand, etc?
We really want to make sure our book is available globally, and our publisher told us they are working on this! If you find do not have the ability to purchase our book in your area, you can also contact our publisher for more information on their form HERE.
In the meantime, our book is also available as an e-book!
E-book Listings:
Barnes & Noble: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/the-amoeba-sisters-cartoon-guide-to-biology-sarina-peterson/1145703511
Amazon: https://a.co/d/4Npp696
Amazon UK: https://amzn.eu/d/0fbOVCzd
Amazon CA: https://a.co/d/60yglLv
In the meantime, our book is also available as an e-book!
E-book Listings:
Barnes & Noble: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/the-amoeba-sisters-cartoon-guide-to-biology-sarina-peterson/1145703511
Amazon: https://a.co/d/4Npp696
Amazon UK: https://amzn.eu/d/0fbOVCzd
Amazon CA: https://a.co/d/60yglLv
Is the book available as an e-book?
Yes! Our book is available as an e-book through both Barnes and Noble & Amazon (including Amazon CA and Amazon UK).
Barnes & Noble: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/the-amoeba-sisters-cartoon-guide-to-biology-sarina-peterson/1145703511
Amazon: https://a.co/d/4Npp696
Amazon UK: https://amzn.eu/d/0fbOVCzd
Amazon CA: https://a.co/d/60yglLv
Barnes & Noble: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/the-amoeba-sisters-cartoon-guide-to-biology-sarina-peterson/1145703511
Amazon: https://a.co/d/4Npp696
Amazon UK: https://amzn.eu/d/0fbOVCzd
Amazon CA: https://a.co/d/60yglLv
The book mentions something about how the words from the glossary will be available separately as card sets?
We're very excited to be launching 5 x 7 vocabulary cards that pair with the book's glossary. Each card features a memorable cartoon on the front and a simplified definition on the back. They will be ideal for review and for classroom word walls. While they are completed on our end, we are waiting on the publishing step. We will update our site when we have more information so stay tuned!
Can you list out which specific Amoeba Sisters videos complement each book chapter? And include standards or links to other practice items you already make?
Definitely! Please see this link here.
Book Feedback
Reviews
We are SO excited to share our new book with you, and we want to know what you think! Please please please take a moment to leave a review on the platform where you purchased it (whether on Amazon, Barnes and Noble, Target, etc) as we'd love to hear your thoughts. Reviewing also helps others decide if it's right for them AND helps us find customers!
Corrections or Updates
You have probably noticed that textbooks often release a new edition when they have errors to correct or content updates, but unless they keep a publicly accessible list of what was corrected or updated, you wouldn’t notice the corrections or updates unless you had the time and ability to read both the old edition and new edition to carefully compare the two. For our book, we created a living document to report potential corrections and changes (since science often has updates). If you find an error in this book or a necessary update, please use the form on this page to submit it.
