The Colors Of Mice

Serving the needs of pigment cell biologists, cellular physiologists, developmental geneticists, researchers interested in melanoma and more, this new book showcases a blend of new technologies and new insights in the field of pigmantary genetics of mice, with comparative information on other animals. Graduate students can learn here the terminology and scope of the field, and animal fanciers can discover the genetics behind common color variants of mammals. The book is hailed for being written by four of the premier scientists in the field. These authors aim to present the molecular /cellular work in the context of phenotype and the interacting functions of genes that direct the development and function of one biological system. For other researchers, the depth of genetic knowledge on the pigmantary system makes it a valuable model for the study of other systems.

One day three white mice discover three jars of paint--red, blue, and yellow. Both parents and children alike will appreciate this lighthearted presentation of a lesson in color. "Walsh's cut-paper collage illustrations have bold colors and just the right simplicity for the storyline. A real charmer that's great fun as well as informative."--School Library Journal

Many investigators seem to be fascinated by the coat colors of the mam mals with which they work. This seems to be the case particularly for those utilizing isogenic strains of mice, not only because such strains display wide ly different phenotypes, but because scientists, by definition, are an inquisi tive lot and it is sometimes difficult for the uninitiated to comprehend how such phenotypes are produced. This bewilderment becomes even more ap parent if the investigator happens to be involved in breeding studies and a number of attractively colored animals, quite different from the original stocks, appear. Thus I can recall numerous occasions when my colleagues, frequently working in areas completely unrelated to any aspect of genetics, have come to me with an attractively pigmented animal or, more likely, with a popUlation of segregating coat color types (usually because they have not tended their animals properly and have ended up with a cage full of F 2S displaying a number of different colors). How, they ask, do such colors come about? While in some cases it is easy to take chalk in hand and explain what has been going on (segregating) and why, in other cases it is virtually impossible. It is extremely difficult because while the interactions of many coat-color factors obey the simple laws of heredity and of predictable gene interactions, others do not.

Children will learn their colors along with a teeny, tiny mouse who names all the colored objects in his teeny, tiny house. This rhyming, educational picture book reminiscent of Good Night, Moon, features adorable artwork by gifted illustrator Pat Schories.

Illustrations and minimal text follow two mice as they set off on an adventure that includes a shipwreck, kidnapping by a bird of prey, a narrow escape, and a moonlit stroll home.

"It's a pillar," says one. "It's a fan," says another. One by one, the seven blind mice investigate the strange Something by the pond. And one by one, they come back with a different theory. It's only when the seventh mouse goes out-and explores the whole Something-that the mice see the whole truth. Based on a classic Indian tale, Ed Young's beautifully rendered version is a treasure to enjoy again and again. "Immensely appealing."(The Horn Book, starred review)

An adorable cast of characters helps children learn about colors, animals and the numbers from one to ten.