Organic Chemistry for Babies

Baby University

by Chris Ferrie, Cara Florance

Big Science. Little Learners. Lasting Curiosity.

Introduce your child to the building blocks of life with a playful, expert-crafted board book that makes organic chemistry accessible and fun from the very first page. Perfect for science-loving families, Organic Chemistry for Babies turns abstract concepts into vibrant moments of discovery.

Why This Book Stands

Transforms Chemistry into Simple illustrations and bright visuals engage babies and toddlers, making science feel approachable.Encourages Early STEAM Clear, accurate language introduces molecules and organic chemistry, building confidence in young minds.Supports Parent-Child Designed for shared story time, inviting questions and exploration at every stage.Created by STEAM Trusted authors ensure developmental appropriateness and scientific accuracy.Share the joy of learning together with Organic Chemistry for Babies and nurture a love of science that can last a lifetime.

Genres: Science, Picture Books, Nonfiction, Childrens, Chemistry

24 pages, Board Book

Published May 1, 2018

About the author

I am Chris Ferrie, father of four and happy husband. My day job is academic research where I follow my curiosity through the word of quantum physics. My passion for communicating science has led from the most esoteric topics of mathematical physics to more recently writing children’s books.

Reviews

[Manybooks · Rating 3 out of 5]

I do unfortunately have to admit that I have both enjoyed and also been more than a trifle frustrated with and by Chris Ferrie and Cara Florance's 2018 board book Organic Chemistry for Babies (and which is part of Ferrie's Baby University series).

For yes indeed, as an introduction to some of the main concepts of organic chemistry (and with text and accompanying illustrations being aimed at young children from about two to four or five years of age), Organic Chemistry for Babies both narrationally and illustratively starts with a very nicely simple (and easy to understand even for a board book audience) analogy of atom connectivity and valence using different coloured and sized balls to demonstrate (and with each type of "atomic" ball being shown as sticking to a different number of other balls both small and large and making new objects, new entities), and all very nicely and delightfully simply explained by Chris Ferrie and Cara Florance. But just to point out that it also is just a bit visually irritating and distracting in Organic Chemistry for Babies how the colours Ferrie is using for those balls seem to often ignore established chemistry conventions, that he, that Chris Ferrie really should be using only a red colour for carbon atoms and not a variety as obviously is the case for Organic Chemistry for Babies, since in chemistry, red is generally used to indicate carbon, yellow is used to indicate nitrogen, green is used to indicate oxygen and blue is used to indica hydrogen, so that with Chris Ferrie's use of colours for his pictures in Organic Chemistry for Babies not really adhering to the above mentioned scientific conventions all that well and all that strictly, in my humble opinion, this might end up potentially becoming confusing for children later on (when they are beyond the board book stage and maybe playing with molecular model-building toys, as these types of toys do generally quite strictly stick to chemistry colour conventions).

However, even more problematic for me than the colours for the accompanying illustrations issue explained above is that albeit Chris Ferrie and Cara Florance make the link between the initial balls model and atoms really well and that the beginning of Organic Chemistry for Babies is decently simple, is sufficiently easy for young children and thus also not too complex, it is textually quite annoying how after the nicely basic introduction to organic chemistry, Ferrie and Florance in Organic Chemistry for Babies then jump directly to showing skeletal structures of some quite complex molecules (and without adding any of the respective chemical formulas either, which I must admit totally has frustrated and confused me). Sure, most of the more complex molecular examples encountered in Organic Chemistry for Babies are for everyday and as such also for useful and not too "scientific" applications, such as or example aspirin as a medicine and vanillin for its scent, but it still in my opinion is a huge and rather ridiculous jump for Chris Ferrie and Cara Florance to kind of seemingly expect their intended audience, to expect toddlers, to ask of very young children to from the relatively simple idea of connecting different coloured balls to basically catapult right into interpreting complex structures. I mean, I personally found those skeletal structures of organic compounds really complicated and annoyingly difficult in my high school chemistry classes (and while my inner toddler really enjoys the simplicity of the beginning of Organic Chemistry for Babies, she pretty much despises the very obvious complexity that follows, she is not understanding the latter sufficiently and as such only wants a very low and grudging three star rating for Orgamic Chemistry for Babies and definitely thinks that Chris Ferrie and Cara Florance should be keeping Organic Chemistry for Babies simple throughout and not be making their presented text almost right out of the proverbial blue so to speak so unnecessarily complex and problematically difficult).

[Raquel (Silver Valkyrie Reads) · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love this series so much! This particular one is likely too involved to keep the interest of a very small child, but I bet an intelligent three year old would pick up some of the concepts.

[Abby · Rating 5 out of 5]

My 8w old baby had a blast with this one. She giggled when she learned that she is made up of organic molecules!

[John Fox · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very cute gift for someone

[Valleri · Rating 1 out of 5]

Don't even bother. Really.

[Jenna Mills · Rating 2 out of 5]

I don't understand it!

[Ronan Crutchfield]

I enjoyed laughing and staring at the pictures while my mom struggled to pronounce the names of the molecules. I know I can’t talk yet, but surely it isn’t that hard to pronounce “dimethylamine” or “4-Hydroxy-3-methoxybenzaldehyde”

[Kayla · Rating 1 out of 5]

The only thing that’s good about this book is the idea of it. Other than that it’s terrible (writing, illustrations…). He needed to be done after the first one or two in the series.
I majored in biochemistry and got an A in my organic chemistry class and didn’t even understand this book.

[Anna]

The chemical diagrams get a bit intense, and the color choices for atoms are non-standard. But the text and illustrations are solid. This one is a maybe.

[booklady · Rating 4 out of 5]

These books could even make an unscientific mind like mine, become slightly scientific.

[Brianna Dobson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Keywords: Children’s, board book, nonfiction, science

Summary: In this cute board book the author's purpose is “teaching” organic chemistry to babies. It is a colorful and fun introduction into organic chemistry.

Prompt: “Organic Chemistry for Babies” is a board book/baby book. I know this because its audience is for babies, and it needs to be durable. That takes me to my next point, some components that this book possesses that make it a board book include, the board like material, small size, simple format, and rounded corners.

[CQ Kendall · Rating 4 out of 5]

This series helped introduce me to BALL! both in ASL and English, making it quite formative for me.

I have so many reading materials now and with so many more things to point at that these are not in regular rotation at the moment. However, I expect them to be tomes I return to, finding new value each time as both my library and I further develop.

This book really has A Lot of balls in A Lot of configurations in it and that has been endless fun for me - both with tracking the balls in the book and poking things they might be in and with playing with real balls while reading.

[Danielle T · Rating 4 out of 5]

H grabbed this from the board book shelf (it's next to the play area at our local library) and wanted to read it with ten minutes to close so...checked it out. Surprisingly, not a terrible way to explain organic chemistry, a class I repeated way too many times in undergrad. It does jump from atoms to structures pretty quickly but the idea that we're all made of special carbon rings comes across well (also, very relatable for H with all the hydrogen atoms)

[May Kathryn · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another short, but great read. I just love the fact that like with some of the books from the series, this one also started with the most primordial of shapes--and understandably so since it's where everything started, right? I think chemistry teachers should also get a copy of this book as it can initiate/ introduce the entire subject to students.

[Susan · Rating 4 out of 5]

If only this had been around when I was taking O-chem...

Just kidding! I passed. I'm glad this series expanded to chemistry! My baby liked looking at it and it was fun for me to read to him.

[Kat Darby Lifted_pdx · Rating 5 out of 5]

Organic chemistry for babies is suitable for all ages. I’m pretty sure 5 of my friends have purchased this series since I picked a fake fight with this phenomenal physicist. This science series should be in every home as a required coffee table book series.

[Alex · Rating 4 out of 5]

So far a quick and easy-to-understand guide to organic chemistry I wish I had had during college. We haven’t gotten to finish it, between the cover being red and the green “ball” on the first page enrapturing Oldest’s attention.

[Corey · Rating 3 out of 5]

huh.

Simultaneously somehow way too advanced and way too simplistic for its target audience of literal infants. Incredible. Genuinely incredible. Book just throws the word atoms at you like babies know what they is but don't know what molecular geometry is.

[Cari · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent board book for kids!!

[Suzanne Taylor · Rating 3 out of 5]

Cute little board book to introduce 'em young to the sciences!

[Rebecka · Rating 4 out of 5]

My dad read this book to my son & it put him to sleep quite easily. Very sweet.

[Memory Toast · Rating 4 out of 5]

More like for a three or four year old than a baby and simplified to the point where it teaches you almost nothing, but I love the gumption the author had to try!

[Daniel Guglielmo · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very cute book that gives you the general gist of thinking in the right direction!

[Kristína · Rating 4 out of 5]

very very cute, surprisingly understandable, except for a few little details. a fun read even if you're an adult and you and chemistry have never been friends at school.

[suri delgado sarabia · Rating 3 out of 5]

ojalá la química orgánica fuese así d sencilla

[Mary Melaugh · Rating 4 out of 5]

If you believe that it's never too early to start teaching STEM concepts to your child, then this is the book (and series) for you!

[Aarvik · Rating 4 out of 5]

Nice read!

[rita ✴︎ · Rating 5 out of 5]

5/5 taught me more chem than I learned in a semester I'm extremely prepared for my final now.

[Sandra Matthews · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another enriching book by Chris Ferrie that takes a big concept and breaks it down to level 1.

[ana carolina · Rating 5 out of 5]

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