“When one of the children tells me that they can’t stand chemistry, I always answer: “How is that possible? Don’t you love the world you live in?” In response to the little man’s surprised look, we have to explain that the whole world, including ourselves, is made of matter. And chemistry is the study of matter. What could be more interesting?” A book by a famous scientific journalist , editor-in-chief of the popular science magazine "Chemistry and Life" - these are precisely stories about matter, about its beauty and significance in our lives, this is chemistry without formulas and equations. The book is addressed to young readers, schoolchildren who have not yet started studying chemistry, but it may be interesting to their parents, and in general to all adults who want to learn more about the world around us.