The Secret Code Inside You: All About Your DNA

PreS-Gr 3–Have you ever wondered why you can’t catch flies with your tongue like a lizard, or see in the dark like an owl, or fly like a bird? The answer is found in a secret code called DNA, deep inside each human, giving bodies the instructions they need to grow. And while cells carry these secret codes, what people do with their bodies—and who they become—is up to them. This whimsical approach to explaining the concept of DNA, cells, and chromosomes manages to make a complex topic accessible to preschoolers. The rhyming text is easily readable, even when dealing with complicated terminology. Salerno’s soft-edge and colorful illustrations bring these hard-to-visualize concepts to life. Resources include a detailed page of DNA facts as well as instructions for a fun experiment. However, suggestions for further reading are limited to a few websites, and only two sources are cited in the bibliography.