Grow: Secrets of Our DNA (Our Natural World) Hardcover – Picture Book, September 1, 2020

11 year old loved it. He said it had a lot of information

LOVED this! Thank you to Davies & Sutton for tackling what can feel like a complex topic to teach our young students. This would make for a great INTERACTIVE READ ALOUD in k-3 (and even higher as an intro to more complex texts on the topic).The WRITING AND ILLUSTRATIONS ARE YOUNG STUDENT FRIENDLY and the STRUCTURE IS BRILLIANTLY GEARED TOWARDS THIS AUDIENCE. The writing is clear and evenly paced. Davies & Sutton begin the conversation by explaining three concepts - 1) "the way living things grow helps them to survive in different places" with less familiar examples (e.g., a bristlecone pine can take up to 40 years to grow to the size of a pencil - in harsh mountain conditions) 2) "how much living things grow is important" depending on their habitat 3) growing isn't just about time and size--it's also about changing. This last point leads into a two-page layout of a child growing over time and the following fact -- "From the time you were the size of a dot, your body has been following a set of instructions. These instructions aren't written in words but in a code. The code is made from deoxyribonucleic acid, or DNA." ("Deoxy..." is as big as the technical vocab gets;).When Davies & Sutton move into explaining DNA, the layout, design, chunks of info are again very kid-friendly. Two page layouts with manageable chunks of information. (I actually understand DNA better having read this!!!) Not a lot of technical text--just enough for our young students to take a bite and chew, savor and think. They learn very interesting facts like that "four genes help to shape a nose" and it takes "at least sixteen genes to give eyes their color." There's a brief discussion of inheriting genetic code from biological parents and then comparisons of our code to plants, animals, and every other human. BEAUTIFUL!!!!

Grow: The Secrets of Our DNA is a gem of a book which introduces young children to the magic of DNA, genes, heredity etc by showing how all living things grow (some fast, others slow): plants, animals and humans. Did you know a quahog takes 100+ years to reach palm size? But then growing is not just about a change in size and shape.In this book there is a DNA spiral to show steps, pairs and genes that determine our nose shape, hair color and texture, eye color, height etc. It further explains how 1/2 comes from each biological parent and how differences occur among siblings, even those with the same parents, creating a unique, yet similar genetic code to other family members. There is even an "Afterward" titled: "How Did You Grow?"Such a wonderful intro for children with vivid, colorful illustrations; some are light and fun as well making a serious book fun to read and absorb.

Nicola Davies is especially talented at creating children’s informational books that seem like pure entertainment instead of treatments of scientific topics that, when introduced in school, might seem overwhelming or too technical for young children. She includes new facts in italics for more mature readers, but the bulk of her text tells the story of growing up and changing in a way that will appeal to all elementary-aged children. What is the focus? DNA. DNA is broken down into its bases; two bases form a step. The child learns that the pattern of the steps determines the shape of a nose, the color and texture of hair and the color of eyes. She explains genetic code and shows now our DNA connects us today as well as to the past. The detailed illustrations by Emily Sutton are so lively and supportive of the text as to invite readers to learn something new without feeling like they are in a science class, required to memorize the base names and spout them back on a test paper.

Knowledge is magnificent and this book is armed to the gills with it. From the beautifully drawn helices on the end pages to the realistic illustrations that bring life to the fascinating world of DNA, this book is a STEAM book for all ages. One of the best takeaways from this book is that although our DNA makes us unique, the fact that uniqueness is a constant for all living creations, only proves that we are all just one giant community. All the same, yet all different. All things grow, all things change.The cover drew me right in. The illustrator’s use of a variety of mediums, such as pastels, colored pencils, ink and watercolors are a beautiful blend of the simple and the complex. Although the illustrations are cartoon-like, they craftily capture important details using design elements such as texture, color and line. The illustrations wonderfully carry the science of the subject matter. The characters are diverse, the information is highly accessible and interesting and will surely kick off a larger quest for knowledge. I highly recommend this wonderful introduction to life science.

DNA and genetics aren't the simplest thing to explain to young readers, but it should be no surprise that Nicola Davies and Emily Sutton did a masterful job of it in this latest collaboration. Like their book TINY CREATURES: THE WORLD OF MICROBES, their new picture book, GROW: SECRETS OF OUR DNA begins with a simple, kid-friendly concept: that all living things grow. Additional scientific ideas about the building blocks of life are built upon that scaffold, revealing the secrets of DNA in a way that is natural and easy for even the youngest scientists to understand. The text evokes a great sense of wonder, and the illustrations are stunning.

If you told my younger self that I would one day be singing praises for a book about DNA I’m not sure I would believe you. I wish this was around when I was learning about DNA because this picture book breaks down the concept in such a clear, understandable way and the beautiful illustrations add so much to the engaging factor. I am seriously impressed by this book!

I read this book to my 12yo and found it to be very informative yet easy to understand. It explains DNA in a way that’s easy for children to understand but it also full of great information. The illustrations are absolutely beautiful.

You really don’t expect books explaining DNA to be delightful but that’s exactly what this book is. Nicola Davies and Emily Sutton pair to make wonderful science books for young children. Emily’s detailed and exquisite drawings, which are always so full of expression and character, for the beautiful back drop for Nicola’s concise and easily digestible explanations and facts. This is just as wonderful as ‘Lots’ and ‘Tiny’.The text explains how organisms vary in size and speed of growth and then delve’s into the explanation of DNA and genes. There’s also an explanation of cell decision following conception.Another essential book for young scientist from this delightful duo.

c'est un beau livre en anglais, tout court qui explique l'adn, belles illustrations et simple à comprendre / this is a gorgeously illustrated book that explains dna and is easy to understand for a small child

The illustrations in this book are wonderful and loved by my Grandchildren. Blackwell's UK delivery, despite Covid-19, was as scheduled. Thanks

A wonderful follow-up to "Tiny", both the words and illustrations. My five year-old loved it.