This book will ask questions for you to think about. Try to answer before you turn the page even if you aren't sure of the answers. Have fun!

What are some things that are alive?

Let's make a list:

Did you say people? Yes, people are alive.

Did you say animals? Yes, animals are alive.

Did you say plants or trees? Yes, plants and trees are alive.

People, animals, plants, and a few other types of things, like fungi (mushrooms), protists (one type is algae), and bacteria are all living things!

Why do we say that people, animals, and plants are alive?

What makes them alive?

Did you say that they breathe? Well, some living things like people and animals breathe, but other living things like plants, algae, and bacteria do not breathe. Hmmm....

Did you say that they move? Again, some living things like people and animals move, but other living things like plants do not move. So, that can't be right, either...

So, WHAT do all living things have in common?

Well, they all respire, which is a fancy way of saying that they use gases, like oxygen and carbon dioxide, even if they cannot breathe.

Did you say that all living things grow? That's right!

Did you say that all types of living things are able to reproduce or create more of their own kind (like having babies)? That's right!

And there's more--

All living things are made of tiny parts called cells,

all living things respond to things around them, and

all living things change or adapt.