LuckyBooks presented a new book about biotechnology “Summer in the DNA Length” by Alina Shtefan at the Book Arsenal.

One of its characters - Ievhen Dzchura who is a professor of genetics and a fabulist - came to the presentation of the book. Alina Shtefan, the author of the book, created him to prove small readers that scientists were not boring at all and biotechnology was an important part of the real life.

To tell about biotechnology means to tell about its practical use in improving our life and first of all our health. So my experience of working as a doctor as well as my medical education are quite applicable here. „Biotechnology includes new medicines treating incurable diseases, new products able to nourish the world growing population, and the possibility to restore the species which seems to be lost forever“, tells the writer who is at the same time the doctor, the biologist, the journalists and the mother of three children.

The book became the first Ukrainian publication about biotechnology for teens. The book in the form of adventure novel provides its readers with simple answers to complicated questions, for example: How a gene can be modified? What is 4D life printer? Can mammoth be cloned?

Of course, the presentation not only covered such topics as the description of the book, the process of its creation, the progress, and importance of this project but also paid attention to increasing the interest of child audience in science. “Do you know that each of us is a banana by 50%?”, asked Tetiana Drevycka, the geneticist, molecular biologist, and teacher at the school of science DESK, the audience. She suggested the volunteers detaching the DNA of the tropical fruit. Then she described how to repeat the experiment at home.

Andrii, 9 years old, was among those lucky ones who succeeded in detaching the banana DNA at the Book Arsenal: I was worried as it is the first time I am doing something like this. I liked it very much. What is more, it even encouraged me to become a biologist.

Olena who is 7 years old and lives in Kyiv, noted that she had never seen her favorite goodies being used in such a strange way. Ihor, 12 years old, stated that after participating in this event he would like to attend a biological club at his school.

Children could find something interesting for them at LuckyBooks mount as well, they had a possibility to play a genetic quiz with the biker and examine cells of insects and plants through a microscope.

During 5 days of the Arsenal, there was a non-stop queue to the microscope provided by OPTEC Group Ukraine. Kateryna Pashuk together with her 5 years old daughter Alisa saw through it “a blue tropical tree” and were extremely surprised to find out that it was cells of an ordinary fungus.

The date of the presentation of the book coincided with the LuckyBooks birthday. Around 6000 copies of popular science books were published within the project during a year. Over 30 educational events took place in Kyiv, Lviv, Odesa, Kharkiv, Mariupil, Sievierodonetsk and other cities.

The co-founder of the project and the director of “I am Future of Ukraine” Foundation Marta Levchenko reminded that LuckyBooks project was established a year ago at the Book Arsenal:

We gained a unique experience during this year and now we know how science and reading can be combined. We are sure that the Ukrainian children are very talented and courageous, they have a strong desire to change the world for the better and strive for new knowledge. We continue to involve children in non-fiction literature notably in Ukrainian as we believe that intellectual ukrainization has to be held in this very way.

This year the project has become the general partner of the exhibition children program and assisted in bringing the unique virtual reality project “Acquaintance with tukoni” to life.

Children, as well as adults, wanted to look at the forest inhabitants by Oksana Bula, the painter from Lviv. Even the President Petro Poroshenko while visiting the Arsenal on an opening day used the possibility to get acquainted with miraculous characters of the children book.

Shortly “Summer in the DNA Length”, the book by Alina Shtefan with illustrations by Anna Ivanenko will be sent to the libraries and boarding schools in the Eastern and Southern regions of Ukraine. Different surprises await children on presentations of the book in various regions.