Discover the wonders of DNA in a fascinating new book from the creators of the award-winning Tiny Creatures and Many . Earth is full of life! All living things grow—plants, animals, and human beings. The way they grow, whether it be fast or slow, enormous or not so big, helps them survive. But growing is also about change: when people grow, they become more complicated and able to do more things. And they don’t have to think about it, because bodies come with instructions, or DNA. With simple, engaging language and expressive, child-friendly illustrations, Nicola Davies and Emily Sutton provide an introduction to genetic code and how it relates to families to make us all both wonderfully unique and wholly connected to every living thing on earth. 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 Yorkα(c) Copyright 2011. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted. The secrets of DNA, unpacked engagingly and accessibly. —Kirkus Reviews (starred review) 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...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. —Publishers Weekly (starred review) Veteran science author Davies (Many: The Diversity of Life on Earth, rev. 11/17) introduces DNA to a young audience...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. —The Horn Book In a series of framed pictures painted in watercolor, readers will trace the development of a human being from ‘a tiny blob’ on an ultrasound through her infancy and youth and beyond, until she is expecting a baby of her own…This inviting book should leave children ages 6-10 both awed and informed. —The Wall Street Journal Nicola Davies is a zoologist and an award-winning author whose many books for children include Tiny Creatures and Many: The Diversity of Life on Earth , both illustrated by Emily Sutton, as well as Deadly! , Just the Right Size , What’s Eating You? , Poop , Extreme Animals , and Talk, Talk, Squawk! , all illustrated by Neal Layton . Nicola Davies lives in Wales. Emily Sutton is the illustrator of Tiny Creatures and Many: The Diversity of Life on Earth , both by Nicola Davies, as well as The Christmas Eve Tree by Delia Huddy. Emily Sutton lives in York, England.