Decoding Plant Genomes is an illustrated book about the plant biologists at Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory (CSHL) who are editing plant genomes to withstand the climate change.
The book features detailed line drawings that you can enjoy as they are, or add color with paints and pencils to make them your own.
Scroll down for details about the book and discover the science and art inside.
Price range: $20.00 through $24.00
Decoding Plant Genomes has 40 pages of heavyweight, uncoated white paper. The sturdy paper is suitable for pastels, markers, watercolors, and colored pencils. The book is bound with a coil binding, which allows it to lay flat for easy coloring.
Size: 8.5 x 11 inch | 40 pages
Just the book: $20.00
The book with colored pencils: $24.00
Publisher: Fellman Studio Inc. 2024
ISBN: 978-1-7323953-2-9
Shipping: $10.00 fee covers some of the costs to package and ship your purchase. We deliver anywhere in the continental US.
Sales tax is only charged on purchases made by Virginia residents. Sales tax is not charged on shipping.
The words and illustrations in Decoding Plant Genomes speak to readers of every age. In the rapidly evolving field of genomic science, we’re all newcomers learning together.
The book serves dual audiences through layered storytelling: young children (ages 3-7) experience it as a picture book, while middle-schoolers and adults can delve into the scientific explanations embedded within the narrative.
Decoding Plant Genomes has a coil binding to allow the pages to lay flat as a two-page spread. The illustrations and story play out across the spread. On the left, a few words tell the story of Artist, the hero in the book. She asks questions we all have about our DNA. The answers are on the right page, explaining fundamental concepts and current scientific research.
Artist, the character in Decoding Plant Genomes, narrates my experience at Cold Spring Harbor Lab (CSHL) as the Celia & Wally Gilbert Artist-in-Residence. I received the award for making the book about CSHL scientists engineering plants to adapt to climate change.
To write and illustrate this book, I interviewed plant biologists and geneticists and photographed the experiments in the greenhouse. You can read more about the CSHL artist residency program here.
In the photo below, I’m holding my book at a National Press Club (NPC) meeting. Alan Kotok, the NPC’s photography chair, took the picture. See the award-winning work by Alan and NPC members here.
“I love the work you’re doing and I think making science more palatable and accessible is super valuable in this current moment. With such a breadth of knowledge as well as an abundance of misinformation and problematic narratives, speaking directly with the people involved in the work is necessary.” — Blaine Fitzgerald, Greenhouse Research Manager, CSHL Lippman Lab
“I’m reading your book and can’t put it down. I’m learning so much!” — Elizabeth L. Watson, author of “Grounds for Knowledge,” a Guide to CSHL Landscapes and Buildings
Price range: $20.00 through $24.00
Price range: $24.00 through $46.00
