Pen & Pipette is a nonprofit on a mission to ignite a passion for science in kids. Founded by high school students who love both stories and science, the team creates the kinds of books they wish they had growing up.
Learn more about Pen & Pipette
Noticing a gap in science narrative picture books, we set off to create one with a goal of making science both tangible and less scary.
Over FaceTime, Trader Joe’s snacks, and Thursday lunch meetings, we brought our unique teen perspectives to this story. Whimsical Pinterest inspo, nostalgic golden hour, favorite childhood books, video game characters, iconic Barbie dolls—we tried to make a book that sparks kids’ imagination and conveys the wonder of science.
From whiteboard sketches to Google Slides, we had the flexibility to research, brainstorm, write, and design simultaneously at each step of this project. And we even visited elementary classrooms halfway through the process to hear kids’ feedback firsthand! By creating this story with all our diverse voices, we hope this book can resonate with all sorts of young readers, and share the power of diversity both within the gut microbiome and in our communities.
