How do you explain DNA to a child of say, eight years old? Tricky, you say? Too abstract? Perhaps even too scientific? Davies starts with the basics: “All living things grow.” From there, she discusses adaptation to the natural environment and the fact that all living things change and grow over time. “From the time your body was a tiny dot,” she states, “your body has been following a set of instructions.” The set of instructions, of course, is DNA. She discusses genes and where one’s genetic code comes from, and how similar all human genetic codes are to other human genetic codes (very similar), to chimpanzees (still quite similar), and even to roses (not similar at all!) Sutton’s illustrations compliment the text wonderfully. I particularly appreciate that this book resists the white default: the main children in the book are Black which is very refreshing, and the example nose shapes and hair texture are representative of a wide swath of humanity. Together, Davies and Sutton manage to make DNA understandable to a young audience without oversimplification, a difficult task that they make look easy. Recommended for absolutely everyone. ( )

DNA (deoxyribonucleic acid) is a material found in the cells of all living things. It determines what a living thing looks like and how it functions. Sections of DNA information are called genes.

Read the recently published nonfiction picture book for youth, then learn more at the website:

GROW: SECRETS OF OUR DNA by Nicola Davies is an informational picture book describing how living things grow. It describes DNA as a set of instructions used to create a human body as well as other living beings.

YOURGENOME is a website where students can learn about DNA, genes, genomes, and the implications for our health and society. Designed by the Wellcome Genome Campus, users can explore videos, activities, interactives and a glossary. Sections of the website focus on the cell, methods and technology, targeting disease, society and behavior, and animals and animals.

To visit this online project, go to https://www.yourgenome.org/.

ARC courtesy of Candlewick. ( )

Davies teams up with Sutton to bring us another scientific picture book. This one is all about the way things grow and how their growth is patterned in their DNA. The opening page shows a profusion of flowers, from seedlings to full bloom, a collection of domestic animals, from baby to adult, and a boy with curly hair and tan skin from infant to adulthood.

Different ways of growing are illustrated with a variety of living things, a bristlecone pine that grows slowly so it can live in the challenging mountain climate, quahog clams that grow slowly in the cold and dark of the ocean. A group of children with curly black hair and tan skin, march through the pages, investigating the different creatures. Most pictures feature one girl, her hair tied back in exuberant puffs, as she gardens, walks through different landscapes, and shows her own growth cycle, revealing a Black mother and white father whose DNA creates her and then moving on until she herself is pregnant, with a biracial partner at her side.

A simple but detailed explanation of DNA follows, showing how it affects genetics from hair color and texture to eye color. Similarities and differences in genetic code are shown, from how our code is similar to a chimpanzee to how different it is from a rose. The book ends with a full spread of a museum and the thought that we are connected to all life through our DNA, with a final picture of the little girl drawing a spiraling strand of DNA.

There is an afterword explaining more about how human bodies grow, but no sources or bibliography. I'm ok with that - this is more of an introduction than a research title. The lovely art and poetic text, although factually accurate, is more about introducing the reader to the idea of DNA and genetics and some vocabulary than being a scientific introduction to the topic.

Verdict: A unique and lovely approach to the complex topic of genetics. Recommended.

ISBN: 9781536212723; Published September 2020 by Candlewick; Review copy provided by publisher; Donated to the library

"All living things grow. Plants...animals...and humans."

Living things grow quickly or slowly, staying small like a leaf chameleon or growing large like a sunfish. But "growing isn't only about time and size. It's also about change." Two double-page-spreads show a person growing from a "dot" in an ultrasound picture to a woman pregnant with her own child. In addition to many pictures of growing humans, plants, and animals, the famous spiral ladder of DNA itself is pictured. (The term "deoxyribonucleic acid" is used; "double helix" is not.) Readers learn about genetic codes, and "although we are all so different, our DNA shows us that we are all part of life's big family."

This beautifully illustrated, large format picture book explains DNA so readers can understand the basics easily.

Back matter: none. Would have been nice to have a selected bibliography.

See also: If You Come to Earth by Sophie Blackall; Nine Months by Miranda Paul and Jason Chin ( )