Re: how do you create a childrens story based on Mitosis,Meiosis, & cell cycle?

Mitosis, Meiosis and the cell cycle are a tough topic for children’s books. 
I am sure that you are wonderfully capable of relating the specifics of 
these processes in an understandable manner, but there is a potential hang-
up that you have probably noticed. Children’s books tend to be linear and 
well defined. As you have pointed out, the cell cycle doesn’t really have a 
beginning or an end, although there are some major events that can be 
defined as such if that is your desire.

There is one particular type of children’s book that appears to parallel the 
cell cycle. Have you ever read a "choose-your-own-adventure" book? This 
might be a very interesting thing to create. The cell "cycle" is not only 
circular, but has many branch points. For example, a cell growing in G1 can 
actually enter into stationary phase (also called G0) in response to 
stresses such as heat shock, poor nutrient conditions, overcrowding, high 
concentrations of toxic substances (many of which can be created by the 
cells themselves.) Under good conditions, G0 is not entered and S (DNA 
Synthesis) phase ensues.

Such a choose-your-own-adventure story could be created with options such as 
"if you want to enter stationary phase, go to page 12". However, that might 
be less instructive than allowing the reader to decide whether they will go 
over to the cell party (high density therefore better initial growing 
conditions, but ensuing increases in toxic metabolites and decreasing 
nutrients), or to sit around by themselves instead. I am sure that you can 
think of many comical situations. I think that the benefit here lies in the 
passive mode of learning that goes on. You could even have go-to options 
that lead the reader to a more active form of learning (e.g. "to ask the 
magician what it is like to go to a cell party, go to page 15")

And for a final touch, the book itself could be circular. This is something 
that I have never seen in choose your own adventures, which tend to have a 
lot of dead ends and a few final victories, but never send the reader back 
to somewhere that they have already been. Perhaps by weaving passages 
somewhat circularly, you could give the reader the idea that it is a cycle 
more fully than you could by simply stating that fact.

Now you have a lot of decisions to make in your make-your-own-book 
adventure.

Will the character be one cell or a group of cells, or a multi-cellular 
organism.

Will the cell(s) be bacterial (prokaryotic) or eukaryotic (mammalian cells 
are an example of eukaryotic organisms, but there are many other types and 
they are not all multi-cellular.)

Will the cells be able to differentiate (if that cell type can, and if the 
proper signals are supplied.)

If a cell divides, which one does the reader become.

Will you include meiosis. If you do, remember to read about what types of 
cells are actually capable of this event.

Will you perhaps do many of these things and weave them together by the 
options in your story.  I am not sure if this would be instructive or 
confusing, but if you try it and decide if it is a good or a bad idea, I 
would be interested to know what you decided.

Will you include a dictionary at the back or will you introduce new words 
and their meanings within the body of the text. This one is an important 
question even if you decide to do a different type of story all together.

Will you …

Will you …

There are many more things for you to decide as you write this story. Good 
luck.

There is a good web site here http://www.playandteach.com/members0500.htm 
that showcases many scientific children’s books.

Chris Neale.