Geraldine Ondrizek

Becoming You: A Journey from a Single Cell is a picture book that introduces readers to the beginnings of human life through cells, genes, chromosomes, embryos, and inheritance. Using clear scientific explanations and evocative artwork using images from fertility and science laboratories, it shows how a single cell grows into a human being and how all living things are connected through the shared language of life.

At the same time, the book goes beyond biology alone. It invites readers to think about family, kinship, and the ethical questions raised by reproductive medicine, embryo testing, and genetic knowledge. Rather than presenting genes as something that determines everything, the book emphasizes that life is also shaped by care, relationships, and the environment around us.

Blending developmental biology, genetics, art, and bioethics, the book encourages children and adults alike to reflect on where we come from, how we become ourselves, and why every human life should be approached with wonder, humility, and care.

Upcoming Exhibition

Tokai University School of Medicine, Hachioji Hospital, Tokyo, Japan, 2027-2028

Sponsors

Thanks to the sponsor of the book, Ohana, Mimi Sawyer, Tokotokotricot, Aru Akabayash,  SEIKA,The Kuboi Family, Akira Akabayash

Image Credits

Dr. Shirin Bahmanyar Lab, Department of Molecular, Cellular and Developmental Biology, Yale University P14&15

KCL Archives, K/PP178/13/1/1  P49

Publisher

FUSOSHA Publishing Inc, Fuji Media, Tokyo 2025

Designer

Shigehara Takashi

© Sizuko Takahashi, Geraldine Ondrizek 2025
Printed in Japan
ISBN978-4-594-09922-0