Making More: How Life Begins

by Katherine Roy

"Highly recommended for nonfiction and even parenting collections, where it will fly off the shelf with science-loving kids and neutralize any adult melodrama around talking to kids about sex."― School Library Journal , starred review   Everywhere, all around you, life is making more. From fish to mammals and plants to insects, every organism on Earth must reproduce, and the survival of each species―and of life itself―depends on this and on the diversity it creates. In this groundbreaking book, Katherine Roy distills the science of reproduction into its simplest components: organisms must meet, merge their DNA, and grow new individuals; and she thoughtfully highlights the astonishing variety of this process with examples from across the natural world, from ferns and butterflies to trout, hawks, rabbits, and more. Lucid, informed, and illuminated by beautiful paintings, Making More weaves a story that seamlessly explains life’s most fundamental process, answers children’s questions, and provides an essential tool for parents, caregivers, and educators.  Full-color throughout

Genres: Picture Books, Nonfiction, Animals, Science, Nature, Stem, Childrens

72 pages, Hardcover

First published March 7, 2023

About the author

Katherine Roy is the award-winning and best-selling author and illustrator of many science-based books for kids, including her Robert F. Sibert Honor Book Neighborhood Sharks: Hunting with the Great Whites of California's Farallon Islands, How to Be an Elephant: Growing Up in the African Wild, and Making More: How Life Begins. She is also the illustrator of numerous other books, including Barb Rosenstock's Otis and Will Discover the Deep, Richard Ho's Red Rover, Kirsten W. Larson's The Fire of Stars, and the forthcoming Sea Without a Shore by Barb Rosenstock. She lives with her husband and sons in western Oregon, where she's busy writing and drawing her next books. Learn more at http://katherineroy.com.

Reviews

[Kasey Giard · Rating 5 out of 5]

The beautiful, painted illustrations are the first thing about this book that caught my eye. I love the soothing color palette and the way each page makes me feel immersed in nature.

The book addresses how different types of plants and animals make more of themselves in simple terms. I liked the way the author introduced different types of reproduction– crossing versus cloning– and gave simple explanations for why both are important.

Animal classes like fish, reptiles, amphibians, and mammals each have their own page giving an overview of how they reproduce. Some technical terms are present, but used more in diagrams than in the paragraph text. I think the book strikes a great balance between simplifying a complex process for young readers while still presenting real biological information.

I love this book, and I think it’s a great resource for kids who are interested in animals or biology. This is definitely one I want on my own family library shelves, and I think it’d make a great book for classrooms and public libraries.

[Cheyenne · Rating 5 out of 5]

First off, I have to say, these illustrations are absolutely gorgeous! My kids and I enjoy learning about nature and while we’ve always talked about reproduction it was great to have a book that we could delve a little deeper into the different ways that plants and animals reproduce since we are learning about Zoology. The Crash Course Zoology video 9 by Dr. Rae Wynn Grant goes well with this book. I love that this book gives the many examples of reproduction, since not all plants and animals reproduce in the same way. My daughter especially loved the illustrations and wanted to know how they were made. This book would be a great addition to any library!

Thank you NetGalley and W. W. Norton & Company for the opportunity to review this book prior to publication.

[Elizabeth Mellen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thanks to Netgalley and WW Norton & Company for the ARC of this!

Really fascinating and in-depth look at reproduction in animals and plants. This was concise enough that my 6 year old stayed interested, but it was a better fit to my 9 year old. The artwork was absolutely stunning.

[Gabrielle Stoller · Rating 3 out of 5]

Excellent book about how life is made. Complete with animals spawning and some animals humping. In all honesty though, it's fabulous

[Claire Wrobel · Rating 3 out of 5]

I thought the artwork was beautiful but I was really confused about who the audience was supposed to be. Based on the artwork I thought it was for littles, and the title makes it seem like it will use simple language to help littles understand this concept, but on a lot of the pages there is a lot of more complicated terminology that I wouldn't give to a little. Usually the paragraph with the larger text on each page has lower level language and the smaller text below uses the scientific jargon, and the book seemed like it didn't know who it was trying to talk to.

[Angie · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have never read a book like this, and it is incredible! Gorgeous illustrations show the science behind "how life begins." The information is shared in a narrative that is interesting and straightforward. As Roy mentions on the about the author page, this is a necessary book. Reproduction has been seen as "taboo" and "off limits" for a while, which leaves young readers un & ill-informed about the basics of life on earth. This is a phenomenal book and will be a must for classroom, school, and home libraries. Thank you, Edelweiss+, for the advanced copy!

[Theediscerning · Rating 4 out of 5]

A most distinctive biology book, but one whose 'love letter' to it all approach certainly didn't sit with me enough to give it the highest praise that practically everyone else has. This is about the birds and the bees – and the fish swimming through sperm clouds, and the rutting ladybirds – and that's just some of the front cover. I guess the next few pages, which are pretty much all nature painting with very little text, are a handy way to ease us into the science, but the contrast between those opening pages (and the ones that close this out) and the more technical and detailed pages is I think a little too strong.

When we're with the science, however, we're in very safe hands – the diagrams with their more advanced captions and labels might not feel as if they should work with this kind of watercolour approach, but they certainly do. We're told how a female ovulates, and a male produces the other kind of gamete (sorry not sorry to upset those who seem to think differently), and then spread throughout the world's life forms, from fish and their aquatic life to how mammals replicate the watery nature of the same environment to suit their zygote in the womb, and from how birds and reptiles form their eggs to why plants need seeds and fruit. This does bring another possible quibble, the way so many pages discuss their topic and then end with a variation on 'although elsewhere, something is doing the same but different…'.

All the same, however, this is a success. The artwork is allowed to bring some of the romance and wonder of procreation into the science textbook, in a way that is so different to those I vaguely remember from my schooling. The biology is conveyed very crisply, with a healthy amount of detail, whether the subject be pheromones and mating calls or the whole point of evolution. I can see myself preferring this however with fewer art-only pages, and with some other structure I cannot think of, as opposed to the one I laid out above as a quibble. But don't get me wrong, this is still a strong four stars and it doesn't need me to wish it well – it will be a success regardless.

[Rebecca Reid · Rating 5 out of 5]

Making More: How Life Begins by Katherine Roy (Norton Young Readers, March 2023) is a middle-grade nonfiction tome about animal reproduction, plant reproduction, and even fungi reproduction. In short, it will help every young reader gain a better insight into just how living things “make more” and continue the life cycle.

The first and last pages feel like a picture book: just a few words per page, with sweeping illustrations of a family, with an expectant mother, going for a walk in a park. This family provides a frame for learning about how all the living creatures they see also increase.

The explanatory sections of the book have a full-page illustration, then a few paragraphs of explanation, as well as a diagram to show just what is being discussed. Don’t read this picture book if you are squeamish about your children seeing pictures of animal sex and using proper terms for reproductive anatomy. Any middle-grade child reading this book will probably have questions answered about human intercourse as well, since the book provides descriptions using animal anatomy and obviously human anatomy has the same names as mammal anatomy.

I see Making More as an essential addition to nonfiction middle-grade shelf. Parents hesitant to talk about human reproduction may find it easier to approach from the “everything reproduces” perspective. I guess you can say that Making More helps ease the “birds and bees” discussion. (I feel like my kids and I didn’t really have awkward conversations, since we have tried to talk about it all since early childhood, but this book could only help!) I have to say that as an adult I learned things about how non-mammals reproduce, as well as more than I previously understood about plant reproduction. Now we just need to find a similar book in picture book format for younger children!

I received a digital copy of this book for review consideration.

[Kirsten · Rating 5 out of 5]

"Everywhere, all around you, life is making more. ...reproduction is essential for life on Earth. ...It's a story we see." Katherine Roy's exquisite picture book begins and ends with this idea that reproduction is a never-ending story. She expertly breaks down the reproductive process into three big steps -- meet, merge, grow. These three steps, along with change (evolution) form four main sections of her text book. Within each she shows how different forms of life accomplish these steps in their own way, including plants, different types of animals (insects, mammals, reptiles etc.) Each spread has so many layers to explore, making this book appropriate for a broad range of readers. Youngest children could read the introductory and closing text with their caregivers, exploring the illustrations, especially as they relate to the big steps of meet, merge, grow, and change. Older readers can read and discuss the main text on each spread, as well. And still older children can explore the beautifully illustrated sidebars and back matter for an even richer experience. This is truly a book that invites re-reading as young readers grow themselves. While human reproduction isn't mentioned in the text itself, it's hinted at. Roy includes a visual story of a human family, first hiking in the woods, when the mother is pregnant. By the end, that same family includes a new baby, and the whole family arrives at a birthday celebration. As Roy concludes with a satisfying circular nod to the book's beginning, "Making more ... It's a story we share... it is the story of life on Earth." The back matter includes a glossary, a list of animals included in the illustrations, and author's note, and sources.

[Lizzy Hartwell · Rating 5 out of 5]

"Everywhere, all around you, life is making more. ...reproduction is essential for life on Earth. ...It's a story we see." Katherine Roy's exquisite picture book begins and ends with this idea that reproduction is a never-ending story. She expertly breaks down the reproductive process into three big steps -- meet, merge, grow. These three steps, along with change (evolution) form four main sections of her text book. Within each she shows how different forms of life accomplish these steps in their own way, including plants, different types of animals (insects, mammals, reptiles etc.) Each spread has so many layers to explore, making this book appropriate for a broad range of readers. Youngest children could read the introductory and closing text with their caregivers, exploring the illustrations, especially as they relate to the big steps of meet, merge, grow, and change. Older readers can read and discuss the main text on each spread, as well. And still older children can explore the beautifully illustrated sidebars and back matter for an even richer experience. This is truly a book that invites re-reading as young readers grow themselves. While human reproduction isn't mentioned in the text itself, it's hinted at. Roy includes a visual story of a human family, first hiking in the woods, when the mother is pregnant. By the end, that same family includes a new baby, and the whole family arrives at a birthday celebration. As Roy concludes with a satisfying circular nod to the book's beginning, "Making more ... It's a story we share... it is the story of life on Earth." The back matter includes a glossary, a list of animals included in the illustrations, and author's note, and sources.

[Elizabeth · Rating 5 out of 5]

Making More

Making More: How Life Begins is a beautifully rendered book about reproduction in plants and animals. The illustrations are wonderful and the diagrams are helpful. An amazing amount of material is covered in the 72 pages, with asexual reproduction, evolution and biodiversity touched on. The book mainly concerns sexual reproduction, the common form of reproduction for plants and animals. Katherine Roy writes in a very matter-of-fact manner. Human reproduction is dealt with in the context of reproduction by mammals. This book is very informative and moves easily from one type of reproduction to another. My only uncertainty about Making More is the suggested age range of 9-12 years. An example of text: “The shell membrane holds in moisture, and a fluid-filled sac called the amnion keeps the embryo safe. A membrane called the chorion provides the embryo with oxygen, and another called the allantois stores waste.” The technical terms, while accurate and informative, in my opinion are beyond the ages this book is written for, certainly so for the younger end of the range. Some terms are beyond what either my husband or I remember learning in high school biology. Too many scientific terms in the book, I think, become distracting from the basic information that children of the suggested ages would be interested in and able to remember. That said, I again want to say that the book is wonderfully done, with instructive diagrams and photos to match the comprehensive text, and would be interesting for high school students and beyond as well.
Thank you to NetGalley and Norton Young Readers for the ARC of this book.

[Erin · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5

The first four pages seem like this is going to be a pretty unremarkable picture book. Good, but nothing too out of the ordinary. Then, the information just EXPLODES on the page. The illustrations remain beautiful and absorbing, but the text takes a deep dive into how both plants and animals make more of themselves. In other words, reproduction.

It's an abundance of riches. Each two-page spread offers up several concise paragraphs, followed by super detailed labeled diagrams and even more information bits, and has a lovely illustration on the opposing page. The final four pages wrap up the whole thing with a return to the simpler picture book style. Ample backmatter and an extensive author's note just add value to the main text.

Vibes well with Do Animals Fall in Love?, and those two are great precursors to Queer Ducks and Bitch. All of these books describe animals and humans in animal context with abundant frankness, a welcoming lack of shame, and beautiful style.

[Jean-Claude Roy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Making More: How Life Begins is marvelous and destined to become a classic for both its intended audience as well as parents, teachers, and librarians. The topic is very well treated with sensitivity, beautifully illustrated, and filled with relevant facts.
Katherine Roy approaches the topic of sexual reproduction with a wide range of examples drawn from the plant, insect, and animal world. This is as it should be since the book is about how life makes more… in its very varied and amazing manner.
There are enough biological terms to lead the interested reader to probe deeper into the subjects but do not prevent appreciation of the life making processes they describe.
The book answers the leading question of “how does the baby get in its mother?” It matters not if the mother is a plant, an insect, or a squirrel. Human reproduction is studiously avoided in order to focus on the fact that all living things have parents. Humans having parents is implied and the couple walking through the book hint at an upcoming birth.
The illustrations are gorgeous and well aligned with the corresponding text. Together they explain important concepts in reproductive biology.
I very much enjoyed the book. I relearned a number of interesting factoids once studied in high school biology, and relished the wonderful and relevant artwork. I strongly recommend this book to curious children, parents, educators, and librarians.

[Dione Basseri · Rating 5 out of 5]

Reproduction in EXHAUSTIVE detail. Like, this is suitable for a high school biology class, perhaps even college. Like, a LOT of detail.

I was actually surprised by this, since the book begins looking like a simple picture book. A few pages in, though, and we get into blocks of text, diagrams, and bulleted timelines. Not only is mammalian reproduction covered, but also reptile, amphibian, fish, and even plant life. And the author also takes a little time out to mention asexual reproduction and viruses.

The watercolor artwork takes great care to maintain a lifelike representation of each animal and plant. Page spreads tend to be one full page of text and a second page of full-scene artwork, showing the animal (or plant) in nature, and engaging in everyday activities.

This would be a good way to review before a test on reproduction. It's got all the main things you'd likely find in a junior high to high school bio unit on reproduction, and not much more that won't be on the test. I can't attest for college review, since my college bio course was EXCLUSIVELY on reproduction, and so I needed some more behavioral detail. But, as far as the pure physical aspect of things goes, this would also work there. Good detail, not too much lofty language, and some great illustrations to tie it all together!

[Peter Pursley · Rating 5 out of 5]

THOSE INEVITABLE QUESTIONS FROM KIDS ABOUT LIFE THAT MUST BE ANSWERED
I think we can agree, a question is eventually going to come up with kids, and probably more than once: “How did I (or ‘she’ or ‘he’ or ‘we,’ ‘they’ or ‘it’) get here?” It might be encouraged by the birth of a sibling, a litter of kittens or puppies in your home, or somewhere in the neighborhood, or simply recurring innate curiosity that grows over time. When it does, you will be ready to confidently address such questions with clarity, including essential scientific terms, and enthusiasm if you’ve got a copy of Katherine Roy’s “Making More” handy.
The book is uncommonly attractive and engaging for several reasons. Above all, the graphics are outstanding and contain skillfully done, beautifully colored illustrations from the realms of plant, human and animal life. The text is always clear and understandable, even when discussing key scientific terms, like cells or genes or addressing scientific concepts like genetic instructions and their common role in different forms of life. It would be a mistake to categorize this publication as a Children’s Book. Children will certainly learn from and appreciate the understandings this book conveys. So will adults of any age. It improved and invigorated my appreciation of the spectacular world of living things we inhabit.
Peter Pursley, Berkeley, CA

[Sarah · Rating 4 out of 5]

Making More is a beautifully illustrated middle grade book about the cycle of life - specifically about the processing of breeding and ‘making more’. The drawings are intensely beautiful and I would argue are the main appeal of this book. They range from full page to a full spread, covering two pages in the style of a picture book with minimum text.

This layout is perhaps where I struggle with the aim of this book. It looks at first glance like a picture book but has the science and information that you would expect for a middle grade nonfiction. I can see certain groups of kids absolutely loving this book, and others may find not finding it as interesting, or find the format off-putting as it will remind them of ‘a book for kids’.

All that said, I thought the information was well laid out and well written. Kids (of a serious mindset, because let’s be honest this age demographic loves the joke about this topic) will enjoy it and it’s presented in a way that the kids can understand. I could most definitely see this as a great piece for a science, or even art classroom (if I still taught art this would be one I’d likely shelf).

4 out of 5 adorable baby squirrels

[Pamela · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great information about how living things reproduce. Introduces lots of scientific vocabulary. Has three levels of text: beginning and ending sections w a few sentences per spread written in second person about life all around; single-spread “chapters” grouped into four sections: Meet, Merge, Grow, and Change; and smaller italicized paragraphs, diagrams, and/or numbered lists included w each chapter offering more details about that page’s particular topic. The beginning and end sections, plus spreads between the groups of chapters, feature beautiful full-spread illustrations of various plants and animals. Each chapter has text and diagrams on one side and a full-page illustration on the other. There is also a gate-fold near the end celebrating human life w a birthday party gathering in a wooded area. End matter includes a glossary, list of all the species appearing in the illustrations, info about exploring your own backyard, info on meiosis, an author’s note, and related sources. This is a beautiful and serious exploration of how species meet, merge, grow, and change to make more. I would recommend it for public libraries or caregivers wanting help addressing their child’s questions about how life begins.

[Martha Meyer · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a masterful book for older kids! It tells all about how animals and plants reproduce, interlaced with gorgeous paintings of these animals and plants as well as a human family and their friends, sharing the science lucidly and beautifully. Adults will learn a lot too. This book opened my mind; the unmistakable conclusion is that humans are just one among many species who each solve the problem of "making more" in a different way. Our embarrassment and fear can slip away as we hear of the great panoply of creatures from bacterium to dandelions to deer reproducing and wonder at the great depth and breadth of all creatures' methods! The focus on one family in one ecosystem (North American midwest) is so right. This could have been (based on the text) the usual "race from one continent to the next" and I love that it stays true to one ecosystem. We also focus on one mixed race family and end at a birthday party in a forest preserve (whose animals we've seen in various stages of the reproduction process.) So carefully laid out!

While the amount of text varies from some pages with just pictures to much denser pages with paragraphs of explanation, the reading level and vocabulary stay consistent at 7 - 10 years, the publisher's age range.

[Paul O'Rorke · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a gorgeous and very informative book and I recommend it as a way for parents and teachers to introduce children to scientific knowledge around genetics, reproduction and evolution. It is a great book to give as a gift to parents with young children and to ask your library to purchase.

The author, Katherine Roy, is incredibly creative. Her artwork is beautiful and the text is packed with information. Parents and perhaps even teachers will probably learn things they didn't know (I learned a number of things I didn't know.)

I hope this book flies under the radar of the religious fundamentalists who are trying to take over the USA and make it something the founders never intended: a nation dominated by religious fanatics opposed to secularism and science. I hope that they will not ban it from school libraries as they have already banned so many great books that contradict their ill-informed and narrow opinions.

[Alicia · Rating 4 out of 5]

A walk through the cycle of creating life, the compliment of the fluidly drawn animals in their habitats complimented by the whimsy of a birth (I can't get over my favorite which is the snake emerging from its shell after using it's egg tooth wearing a little birthday hat on its head and seeing a birthday cake slice).

But the overall narrative is about the creation of life or "making more" and the process of eggs meets sperm inside or outside the creature's body including flowers with specific process details that explain how it happens from start to finish.

It's soft and delicate without using obnoxious words-- you see the words penis and vagina, you see sperm (in their various iterations based on the creature), you also see hairless squirrel babies and a family that has a pregnant mom at the beginning as they hike through the woods to end up at a birthday party at the end.

Enchanting and informative.

[Ilse O'Brien · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a stunner of a book! Katherine Roy creates incredibly beautiful and accessible books for kids. She is equally talented as a writer and an artist. Her previous books (Neighborhood Sharks and How to be an Elephant) are two of my favorite to share with kids and I've often used them as mentor texts for craft, structure, and style. As with her aforementioned books, here she succeeds in explaining a complex topic (reproduction of all living things) very clearly and in an easy-to-follow structure. She's organized it all into 3 sections: meet, merge, and create -- bookended by a narrative that hooks readers and frames it all for them. This structure is crucial to the success of the book because she packs a lot of vocabulary and concepts in. It's all supported by her captivating illustrations and labelled diagrams (some made even more engaging with a metaphor and some humor).

[Lily Williams · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is incredibly unique! I picked it up knowing Roy's wonderful nonfiction work but was met with surprise because this book is a cross between a nonfiction picture book and a "Care and Keeping Of You" sex ed manual. It's an educational text on reproduction that would be appropriate for all ages of curious kids. From plants, to insects, to humans, this book expertly covers different types of reproduction with clear digestible writing and easy-to-understand images that visualize the process in a kid-appropriate way.

This book is sure to be a staple in classrooms, libraries, and homes!

Recommend for teachers teaching sex ed & reproduction to parents with curious kids who are looking for ways to explain the birds and bees with actual birds and bees!

[Deborah]

In MAKING MORE, Katherine Roy observes and researches the creatures in her yard and neighborhood, and then conveys with a pure sense of wonder the amazing facts of low life begins. Covering a wide range of species, she clearly and thoroughly explains reproduction, cleverly leaving readers to infer how a human family, subtly represented here in the beginning and end illustrations, gets from baby-bump to baby.

Parents and teachers who are nervous about approaching this topic will appreciate this book’s light touch and isn’t-science-incredible approach. Gorgeously illustrated and certain to become a classic.

[Bethe · Rating 5 out of 5]

5 stars. Excellent introduction to reproduction of most life forms. Love the author’s description “ I wanted parents like me to have a tool to cut through taboos, and answered questions, while meeting their child’s curiosity with joy and wonder.” Love the multi layered text with the family hike through the woods and then the detailed info on stages of meet, merge, grow, and change. Internal fertilization is tastefully depicted. Dual spread paintings separate each section. The diagrams have whimsical details like birthday party hats and signs and nursery decor. Back matter resources included, as well as author note about the overwhelming expanse and wonder of life.

[Lisa Gisèle · Rating 5 out of 5]

I received a copy of this book via Netgalley Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.
Making More is a scientific and straight to the point book about reproduction in species nature and our homes. I learned how birds reproduce which I always wondered about, but never googled.

The images that accompany are simply beautiful. They elevate the book to another level. It would be the book I would use to explain the reproduction to a child or will use to explain bird reproduction to my friends

[Becca · Rating 4 out of 5]

I appreciate the work that went into this title, the well-done illustrations, and all the wonderful information! However, and this is the big downfall for me, TINY PRINT! Much of the information was in print that was way too tiny, as well as being a bit lighter, and my eyes totally hurt after reading it. I understand some of the problems that could occur with spreading the information out, but honestly, it is just too hard to read. In spite of that, I can see children pouring over the illustrations, which are both gorgeous and informative.

[Tina Hoggatt · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was unprepared for the solid blocks of text after the lyrical beginning that reads like the sweetest story of conception and birth, a change in tone that was hard to adjust to for me. However the information in those dense sections is well written and contains a lot of information. This would be a great book on which to base an early research paper. Pencil and watercolor illustrations by the author are terrific and tie this notion of budding life to a growing family, pictured in the background throughout. Useful and thorough back matter invites interaction.

[Emily · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was immediately drawn to this book by the beautiful illustrations which continued throughout the pages. Making More is a wonderful but also scientific explanation of reproduction in our world. I enjoyed that it is told as a story, rather than just a book of facts. As I read it, I thought of my own son and how I think it would be the PERFECT book to introduce him to the concept of reproduction. Well done!

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

[Lauren Sharpton · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love this book for so many reasons, but I think my favorite aspect of it is that it can be engaged with in so many different ways. You can simply enjoy the incredible illustration or you can read it as a story about life or you can dive deep into the details and the science that surrounds us all the time or you can do all three at the same time! It keeps my kids and me coming back to read it and ponder and wonder time and time again.

[DaNae · Rating 3 out of 5]

Glorious illustrations and straight-forward facts about the various form of reproduction. I couldn’t help wishing it was a little less dense with information. It was good and solid, just quite a lot for a picture book. Better for older elementary than younger. This sounds like I’m cautioning against the topic. I’m not, I would love a scaled down version for younger readers. There is just a lot of data on some of these pages to absorb.