Overview
Just in time for Easter and springtime, here is a gorgeously illustrated picture book filled with fascinating facts about eggs.Many creatures, including amphibians, reptiles, insects, birds, and even some mammals, lay eggs. Eggs come in all shapes, sizes, colors, and textures, from jelly-covered bullfrog eggs that float to stringy octopus eggs that hang beneath sea ledges. Animals protect their eggs in special ways, too. Seahorse eggs are carried in the father's pouch, while Asian cave swiftlet eggs stay safe in a nest made of spit. As different as they are from one another, all eggs contain a special world, a place where a developing embryo can breathe, grow, and be nourished. Extraordinary facts abound in this intriguingly written and intricately illustrated picture book about the varied appearances, development processes, environments, and survival challenges of eggs.
Synopsis
Just in time for Easter and springtime, here is a gorgeously illustrated picture book filled with fascinating facts about eggs.
Many creatures, including amphibians, reptiles, insects, birds, and even some mammals, lay eggs. Eggs come in all shapes, sizes, colors, and textures, from jelly-covered bullfrog eggs that float to stringy octopus eggs that hang beneath sea ledges. Animals protect their eggs in special ways, too. Seahorse eggs are carried in the father's pouch, while Asian cave swiftlet eggs stay safe in a nest made of spit. As different as they are from one another, all eggs contain a special world, a place where a developing embryo can breathe, grow, and be nourished. Extraordinary facts abound in this intriguingly written and intricately illustrated picture book about the varied appearances, development processes, environments, and survival challenges of eggs.
Children's Literature
AGERANGE: Ages 8 to 14.
Don't let the colorful pictures and poem on the first page fool you. This is a picture book with a lot of interesting and well-researched information about eggs! From the shapes and colors of eggs to their texture and where they are laid before hatching, this book has everything any reader would want to know about eggs from all "walks of life." From alligator eggs to oriole eggs, the author further fills us in on what nests are made of by various birds, fish, and other animals around the world. Additional sections highlight how eggs are protected by parents or colonies and the many challenges faced by certain animals whose eggs are sought by predators (e.g., birds, snakes, fish) or endangered by environmental conditions (e.g., emperor penguins), and how fish and amphibians actually hatch from their eggs. A very complete glossary, information related to the various organizations that promote education about the protection of wildlife, and a final comment relating how eggs can and should be protected are included towards the end of the text. The illustrations are extremely detailed and provide readers with a great sense of what the various eggs look like. This is a solid nonfiction picture book. Reviewer: Jean Boreen, Ph.D.
Editorials
Children's Literature
AGERANGE: Ages 8 to 14.Don't let the colorful pictures and poem on the first page fool you. This is a picture book with a lot of interesting and well-researched information about eggs! From the shapes and colors of eggs to their texture and where they are laid before hatching, this book has everything any reader would want to know about eggs from all "walks of life." From alligator eggs to oriole eggs, the author further fills us in on what nests are made of by various birds, fish, and other animals around the world. Additional sections highlight how eggs are protected by parents or colonies and the many challenges faced by certain animals whose eggs are sought by predators (e.g., birds, snakes, fish) or endangered by environmental conditions (e.g., emperor penguins), and how fish and amphibians actually hatch from their eggs. A very complete glossary, information related to the various organizations that promote education about the protection of wildlife, and a final comment relating how eggs can and should be protected are included towards the end of the text. The illustrations are extremely detailed and provide readers with a great sense of what the various eggs look like. This is a solid nonfiction picture book. Reviewer: Jean Boreen, Ph.D.
School Library Journal
Gr 2-5- Eggs of many shapes, sizes, colors, and textures and produced by a variety of animals are introduced in short blocks of text and realistic paintings. Singer opens the discussion with a small poem and then explains how eggs serve as the means of reproduction for those creatures that don't "give birth to live babies." A few pages feature larger pictures of an animal with its eggs or nest, while most include smaller examples in varied arrangements across the page. The book is visually attractive, with full-color gouache paintings on every page, offering a bit more explanation of the same topics that were beautifully presented in Diana Aston's An Egg Is Quiet (Chronicle, 2006). Nests are mentioned, though the inclusion of a page on the hives and nests of wasps and bees is a bit confusing. The topic and presentation are appealing for general readers and the information is useful for life-science units.-Margaret Bush, Simmons College, Boston