What makes you, you?
The Big Questions: What Is DNA? is a beautifully written children's nonfiction picture book about DNA, genetics, cells, inheritance, identity, diversity, and the hidden code that connects all living things.
Created for curious readers aged 5-12, this premium science picture book introduces children to one of biology's most astonishing ideas: inside almost every cell is a tiny set of instructions that helps shape living things. From people and flowers to whales, beetles, birds, trees, and glowing jellyfish, DNA helps write the story of life.
Hi, my name is Ethan Solace-an interdisciplinary psychologist and a dad. Picture books are often the first place children encounter the wider world, but we don't always stop to think about who wrote them, or the lasting impression they leave.
I wrote The Big Questions series to be premium, exciting, child-friendly, and based on how children actually engage, not talking down to them, but exploring with them. These books are designed to make big ideas feel alive through wonder, story, emotional intelligence, and clear understanding.
In What Is DNA?, children discover that DNA is more than a science word. It is the invisible code curled inside our cells, helping to shape our bodies, our differences, our family resemblances, and the breathtaking variety of life on Earth.
This book blends real-world biology with poetic storytelling, helping children explore cells, chromosomes, the double helix, inheritance, variation, mutations, DNA detectives, epigenetics, CRISPR, and the possibility of life beyond Earth in a way that feels exciting, accessible, and full of wonder.
Inside, children will explore:
What DNA is and where it lives inside the bodyHow cells use DNA as instructions for building living thingsWhy DNA is shaped like a double helixHow traits such as eye colour, hair, height, and family resemblances can be passed downWhy tiny changes in DNA help create the variety of lifeHow DNA can help detectives, doctors, scientists, and families uncover hidden storiesWhat epigenetics means in simple, child-friendly languageHow CRISPR is helping scientists think about the future of medicine and biologyWhy DNA connects humans to animals, plants, ancestors, and the wider living worldPerfect for bedtime reading, classrooms, homeschool learning, STEM lessons, biology topics, genetics introductions, family conversations, and children who ask big questions about life, this book turns the science of DNA into a journey of identity, curiosity, and awe.
Written with warmth, clarity, and cinematic imagination, The Big Questions: What Is DNA? helps children understand that science is not only about facts. It is also about discovering the hidden patterns that make life possible.
For every child who has wondered why they look like their family, why every living thing is different, or what makes them uniquely themselves, this book offers a beautiful and unforgettable answer.
DNA is the code that writes the story of life.
And that story continues in you.