Books about the Biology of Genomes
Peek inside “Decoding Plant Genomes”
“Decoding Plant Genomes” is a book about scientists who sequence and study plant genomes — and engineer the genes for greater diversity and adaptability to changing environments.
The main character is named Artist and she narrates my experience at Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory (CSHL) as the Wally Gilbert Artist-in-Residence. I received the award for my proposal to interview the CSHL plant biologists and write this book about their research.
A unique design: The book uses a question-and-answer format, with Artist posing questions on left-hand pages and explanations of the scientific research appearing on the right. The coil binding lets the book lie completely flat, allowing the words and illustrations to flow seamlessly across both pages.
Who’s the book for? As the first generation to have our own genomic data, we’re all students learning how DNA shapes our lives and other life-forms on the planet. So I wrote the text at two levels: a picture-book-style story for ages 3 to 7 and explanations of the science for the rest of us.
Buy it here! “Decoding Plant Genomes” is available in my online store, where you can see more illustrations and meet the plant biologists engineering plant genomes.
“Skin We Are In”
“Skin We Are In” tells the story of the evolution of human skin color through the voices of six curious children and one thoughtful uncle. It celebrates the “glorious human rainbow” as an illustrated story with explanations of the science.
The book is a collaboration of South African writer Sindiwe Magona, American anthropologist Dr. Nina Jablonski, and me. Nina initiated the project and wrote the science text, Sindiwe wrote the story, and I illustrated the book.
The book is printed by South African publisher David Philip Books in eleven African languages. Please visit my online store, where you can purchase the English version.
“We Want Our Genome Story”
Are you science-curious? Would you like to learn about DNA while you color? Let your inner artist and scientist shine with the “We Want Our Genome Story” coloring book.” You can use pencils, pastels, markers, and watercolors on the high-quality, heavy-weight pages of the book.
You can read part of the story and see more illustrations in my online store, where you can also buy the book.
Whether young or young at heart, the science of our magnificent genome is a story for humans at any age. After all, as the first generation to have our data, we’re all students—young and not so much—learning together.