Age : 5 - 10
The title of this book is the first sentence of what passes for a story line, which ends with "an egg is noisy!" accompanied by a drawing of hatchlings of the "quiet" egg illustrated on the first page. (This ending line really should have been rephrased, since it's the newborns that are peeping, not the broken eggs.) In between, some characteristics of eggs are noted and adaptations, such as being speckled or "pointy," are briefly explained.
The hand lettered text is richly garnished by over 100 ink and watercolor illustrations of eggs (and many of the adults that produce them) of a rather eclectic array of species, all identified by common names. As is to be expected, birds make up the majority (75%) of the animals pictured, but insects (1,586), crustaceans, fish, reptiles, and amphibians are represented as well. No part of the book has gone unillustrated ; even the front and rear endpapers (pastedowns) are decorated with the shell pattern of one of the eggs. This book is visually pleasing, educational, and utilitarian. A child who might have had it read to him or her as a preschooler could use it several years later to identify an unknown egg found on a field trip.
The hand lettered text is richly garnished by over 100 ink and watercolor illustrations of eggs (and many of the adults that produce them) of a rather eclectic array of species, all identified by common names. As is to be expected, birds make up the majority (75%) of the animals pictured, but insects (1,586), crustaceans, fish, reptiles, and amphibians are represented as well. No part of the book has gone unillustrated ; even the front and rear endpapers (pastedowns) are decorated with the shell pattern of one of the eggs. This book is visually pleasing, educational, and utilitarian. A child who might have had it read to him or her as a preschooler could use it several years later to identify an unknown egg found on a field trip.
This book was one of the winners of the 2007 AAAS/Subaru SB&F Prize for Excellence in Science Books.
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