Davenport's book, Denise gets a microscope for her birthday and she sets about trying to find all sorts of things to grow mold on so that she could look at it under her microscopic lens. She already has a budding scientific method because Denise puts bits of vegetables and bread into baby food jars, moistens them, and then puts them in a dark place-her dresser drawer! Lidless, the jars soon emit a frightful odor that alerts Denise's mother. But, Denise conceives of a plan to save her experiments and she spends her summer in mold heaven.

      That would be enough of a story for many science books for children, but Davenport and her publisher, Orchard Academy Press, have created much more for junior scientists. There are lesson plans that show children how to grow their own molds, prepare slides, and make observation. In addition, the publisher offers more than just a picture book. It offers what they call the Complete Story Experience. Accompanying the book is a CD with an audio edition of the book, a multimedia edition for your computer, mold trading cards, a bookmark, a poster, mold observation sheets, and a complete study guide. Some are downloaded from the publisher's website; others come with the book.

      Penelope Dullaghan's whimsical watercolor illustrations support Davenport's story and help young readers see what Denise is up to. Dullaghan also provides illustrations of different kinds of mold with the lesson plans in the back of the book.

      Another feature of this book is the a detachable autographed card, called a Blue Card. Originally, Orchard Academy Press books had a collectable autographed Blue Page. Parents wanted the books used and perhaps become a bit moldy from the experiments their children were doing and requested a collector card that could be detached instead. Denise's Mold also is made on recycled paper with soy-based inks in a no-waste production method by hand.

      Davenport's Author's Note says that Denise is really her mother who loved mold and became an award-winning microbiologist for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. This little tidbit would inspire any girl wanting to grow up to be a scientist.