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Follow Your Gut: a story from the microbes that make you
Meet the ecosystem inside you …
A timid Bifidobacterium named Biffy is forced to leave their family and become part of a new community, in the gut of a newborn human baby.
Follow Your Gut is a comic that ate a biology textbook. It’s an epic adventure set over the first three years of a new life, exploring one of the most important relationships you will ever have — the one with your gut microbiome.
Created by artists, scientists, and educators, this story is for anyone who’s curious about the human–microbe symbiosis, and what all those trillions of bacteria are doing down there in your intestines!
Inspired by the latest research, Follow Your Gut includes a fascinating and detailed appendix that explains the amazing science behind the story.
‘We fell in love with Biffy, the adorable Bifidobacterium. We also learnt about the scientific process of growing up, and the not-so-secret universe that we have inside us!’ — Kira and Catherine, Year 7, University High School, Melbourne
‘A wildly entertaining science lesson that will change how you see your own body.’ — Dr Nat Bannan, high school science teacher
A timid Bifidobacterium named Biffy is forced to leave their family and become part of a new community, in the gut of a newborn human baby.
Follow Your Gut is a comic that ate a biology textbook. It’s an epic adventure set over the first three years of a new life, exploring one of the most important relationships you will ever have — the one with your gut microbiome.
Created by artists, scientists, and educators, this story is for anyone who’s curious about the human–microbe symbiosis, and what all those trillions of bacteria are doing down there in your intestines!
Inspired by the latest research, Follow Your Gut includes a fascinating and detailed appendix that explains the amazing science behind the story.
‘We fell in love with Biffy, the adorable Bifidobacterium. We also learnt about the scientific process of growing up, and the not-so-secret universe that we have inside us!’ — Kira and Catherine, Year 7, University High School, Melbourne
‘A wildly entertaining science lesson that will change how you see your own body.’ — Dr Nat Bannan, high school science teacher
- GenresNonfictionGraphic Novels
240 pages, Paperback
Published July 30, 2024
6 people are currently reading
15 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
January 4, 2025
Such a clever and insightful book, woven together wonderfully in an easily digestible way (ha, see what I did there?). Learnt loads about microbes and the body, and thoroughly enjoyed the journey I got taken on. To the Biffy’s and fellow pals in my body - thank you for your service.
August 11, 2025
All I can say that there is a whole world in these body systems! 😂 If I’m having an existential crisis, I’ll think of Biffy 😂😂❤️
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
April 11, 2025
Follow Your Gut uses a graphic-novel format to take the reader on a sophisticated journey into the microscopic depths of the human body. A tiny and timid Bifidobacterium named Biffy is transferred from one host (a pregnant woman) to become part of a new community, in the gut of a newborn human baby. Biffy is your guide for this journey where you meet various bacteria characters who lurk in the gut.
A well-designed appendix section at the end is filled with a wealth of scientific information to expand on the story line with some clear answers to questions.
Personally, I am not a fan of graphic novels and I found this hard to follow in places with scientific terminology mingled with everyday language. The politically correct use of a plural pronoun for the non-gendered Biffy added to the confusion when other microorganisms were introduced - was there one or was there many? The book is a worth collaboration between story teller, artist and biologists but I feel that general interest would be limited. However, the book definitely has a place in the secondary biology class.
CBCA 2025 Eve Pownall Notable title.
A well-designed appendix section at the end is filled with a wealth of scientific information to expand on the story line with some clear answers to questions.
Personally, I am not a fan of graphic novels and I found this hard to follow in places with scientific terminology mingled with everyday language. The politically correct use of a plural pronoun for the non-gendered Biffy added to the confusion when other microorganisms were introduced - was there one or was there many? The book is a worth collaboration between story teller, artist and biologists but I feel that general interest would be limited. However, the book definitely has a place in the secondary biology class.
CBCA 2025 Eve Pownall Notable title.
December 5, 2025
This is a wonderful teaching tool and model piece of science communication. The storytelling devices used helps simplify a complex series of biological interactions and allow the reader to better visualize what is happening in the gut.
Stories are how we understand the world, I wish more scientists put this amount of effort into sharing their expertise with the world.
Stories are how we understand the world, I wish more scientists put this amount of effort into sharing their expertise with the world.
June 23, 2025
Engaging easy to digest information, focuses on the developing gut of an infant however transferable to adults. Half the book is a graphic novel while the second half is an appendix filled with bite sized scientific nuggets which were very interesting.
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews