Starred Review for Kirkus Reviews

What tells living cells how to grow?The creators of Many: The Diversity of Life on Earth (2017) now introduce young readers to DNA-the instructions packed in every living cell. Opening with the simple idea that all living things grow, they use specific examples and cheerful illustrations to show how growth is about time, size, and change. Two children of color serve as examples of human growth from "a tiny blob smaller than a dot" (wee print emphasizes the "tiny") to a reproducing adult; they and other children also appear throughout. Readers learn that: Chimpanzees are close relatives; the genetic code for other animals is less similar; and less similar still is the code for plants. But "we share some parts of our genetic code with all living things-those that are alive now and all those that have ever lived on Earth." Three spreads filled with small but detailed drawings show variations in human beings, in other plants and animals living today, and in fossils. Another spread shows the double helix and its four building blocks: adenine, thymine, cytosine, and guanine. This is followed by one explaining genes, using the example of the wide variation in human eyes, noses, and hair. While many young readers won't retain all the details, this can provide a sturdy scaffolding for future learning.The secrets of DNA, unpacked engagingly and accessibly. (afterword) (Informational picture book. 4-8)

School Library Journal Starred Review (Tue Sep 01 00:00:00 CDT 2020)

K-Gr 4 Big ideas about how living things grow and the role of DNA in the process combine seamlessly with clear, colorful, and sometimes humorous illustrations. The book begins with the statement, "All living things grow." The corresponding illustrations show that plants, animals, and humans do just that. This understanding is further refined by the next observation: "The way living things grow helps them to survive in different places." Complementary illustrations depict plants and animals that grow quickly or slowly depending on their location. As the text moves into a discussion of the role of DNA, readers learn that it contains coded instructions for the growth of living things. There is even an explanation of how the six and a half feet of DNA fits inside the human body. An afterword provides information about how human growth begins with a single cell and then, through the process of mitosis, creates the different kinds of cells human bodies need. VERDICT What a match! Beautifully lucid, engaging sentences blend with detailed, informative illustrations that artfully extend big ideas about growth and the role of DNA. This book deserves a wide audience and multiple readings and rereadings. A wonderful addition to science programs and language arts studies of nonfiction books. Myra Zarnowski, City Univ. of New York

Horn Book

Veteran science author Davies (Many: The Diversity of Life on Earth, rev. 11/17) introduces DNA to a young audience by making two initial points. First, all living things grow; and, second, growing means change. Here, Davies reinforces the concept of growth and change with clear examples of seeds and caterpillars that grow into, respectively, flowers and butterflies. After establishing these principles, she then relates them to humans, how they change from a "tiny blob, smaller than a dot" to adults. A set of instructions in our bodies, called the genetic code and created by genes, directs that change. Turning these concepts into concrete examples, Davies explains that it takes four genes to create a nose's shape or one hundred genes to create the color and consistency of hair. She further explains that genes come from biological parents, although not in the same combination for all siblings. Although the illustration of DNA's double helix may be too abstract for the audience, it does not impede the text descriptions and may well act as a cognitive placeholder for a later time. There's a small detour into teleology ("Others grow slowly so they can keep going when times are tough") but this should not interfere with overall meaning. Sutton's watercolor illustrations are particularly strong when depicting growth, showing that some living things grow quickly while others grow slowly, and some become large while others grow into small flora or fauna.

Kirkus Reviews (Fri Oct 04 00:00:00 CDT 2024)

What tells living cells how to grow?The creators of Many: The Diversity of Life on Earth (2017) now introduce young readers to DNA-the instructions packed in every living cell. Opening with the simple idea that all living things grow, they use specific examples and cheerful illustrations to show how growth is about time, size, and change. Two children of color serve as examples of human growth from "a tiny blob smaller than a dot" (wee print emphasizes the "tiny") to a reproducing adult; they and other children also appear throughout. Readers learn that: Chimpanzees are close relatives; the genetic code for other animals is less similar; and less similar still is the code for plants. But "we share some parts of our genetic code with all living things-those that are alive now and all those that have ever lived on Earth." Three spreads filled with small but detailed drawings show variations in human beings, in other plants and animals living today, and in fossils. Another spread shows the double helix and its four building blocks: adenine, thymine, cytosine, and guanine. This is followed by one explaining genes, using the example of the wide variation in human eyes, noses, and hair. While many young readers won't retain all the details, this can provide a sturdy scaffolding for future learning.The secrets of DNA, unpacked engagingly and accessibly. (afterword) (Informational picture book. 4-8)

Publishers Weekly (Fri Oct 06 00:00:00 CDT 2023)

Davies and Sutton reunite to offer another finely crafted exploration of a fundamental science concept: this time, how and why things grow. Davies-s thoughtful prose spirals from simplicity--All living things grow--through accessible complexities, showing the range and diversity of growing things, from sunfish and bristlecone pines to human beings. It builds to an engaging explanation of DNA--The spiral ladder of DNA has thousands and thousands of steps.... The pattern of the steps creates the coded instructions for building living things.- Davies notes that while genes make individuals unique, -all life has always been written in one language.- Throughout, italicized asides present captivating facts (-Four genes to shape a nose.... At least sixteen genes to give eyes their color-). Sutton-s intimate watercolor illustrations riot with rich details, including caterpillars wiggling on cabbages, a loose typology of human noses, and the ribbonlike helices of twining DNA. Ages 5-9. (Sept.)