Module 11: An Egg is Quiet

Aston, D. (2006). An egg is quiet. San Francisco, CA: Chronicle Books.

Summary

This is an absolutely beautifully written and illustrated book about eggs. The descriptions are simple to understand and match the pictures perfectly. Eggs are described in color, size, shape, and how they are developed. A very simple explanation of how the embryo is formed is offered with pictures showing the development of a chicken, a fish, and a grasshopper. Towards the end of the book, we see birds hatch and the final double page illustration is a variety of birds.

Worth Another Cup of Tea?

Yes, this is a beautiful book that would be wonderful to show to children to teach about eggs and the start of life.

Reviews

K-Gr 2-An exceptionally handsome book on eggs, from the delicate ova of the green lacewing to the rosy roe of the Atlantic salmon to the mammoth bulk of an ostrich egg. Aston's simple, readable text celebrates their marvelous diversity, commenting on size, shape, coloration, and where they might be found. The author occasionally attributes sensibilities to eggs ("An egg is clever," for example). Still, her quiet descriptions of egg engineering and embryo development (no mention of mating) are on the mark, and are beautifully supported by Long's splendid watercolor depictions of a wide variety of eggs. (One teeny carp-Steller's jays are not spelled with an "ar," though they are stellar performers when wheedling for your lunch at a campsite!) A beautiful guide to the unexpected panoply of "the egg."--School Library Journal, June, 2006.

PreS-Gr. 2. This beautifully illustrated introduction to eggs resembles pages drawn from a naturalist's diary. The text, scrolled out in elegant brown ink, works on two levels. Larger print makes simple observations that, read together, sound almost like poetry: An egg is quiet. . . . An egg is colorful. An egg is shapely. On each spread, words in smaller print match up with illustrations to offer more facts about bird and fish eggs across the animal spectrum. The illustrations are too detailed for read-alouds, but there's a great deal here to engage children up close. The succinct text will draw young fact hounds, particularly fans of Steve Jenkins' Biggest, Strongest, Fastest (1995) and his similar titles. Long's illustrations are elegant and simple, and the gallery of eggs, as brilliantly colored and polished as gems, will inspire kids to marvel at animals' variety and beauty. A spread showing X-ray views of young embryos growing into animal young makes this a good choice for reinforcing concepts about life cycles.--Booklist, April, 2006.

In The Library

This is an excellent book for young children that could be used as a storytime to supplement learning about eggs, embryos, etc.