I really like this book. Written at about the 3rd grade level it uses kid-friendly images and simple text to introduce children to the notion that genes and alleles and how they influence how we look.

The book begins by reminding children that all humans have traits in common. We all have hair and ears and eyes and mouths, and yet, we can still tell one another apart. It explains that we inherit two sets of genes from our birth parents and that it's combinations of these sets that make us distinctive.

After defining genes, alleles, and traits in a kid-friendly way, Ms. Boothroyd goes on to mention freckles and skin pigmentation, dimples and cleft chins.

The sections on ear lobe and nose shapes beg for class discussion and could easily tie into a math lesson with graphs of what the classroom distribution looks like. How many students, or family members and friends, have ear lobes that are attached versus free-hanging?

FACIAL FEATURES features bright, colorful pages with great photos of kids. And obviously my kids and I liked it.

Pam T~
mom/kidlit lover ( )