Synopses & Reviews
Award-winning artist Sylvia Long has teamed with up-and-coming author Dianna Aston to create this gorgeous and informative introduction to eggs. From tiny hummingbird eggs to giant ostrich eggs, oval ladybug eggs to tubular dogfish eggs, gooey frog eggs to fossilized dinosaur eggs, it magnificently captures the incredible variety of eggs and celebrates their beauty and wonder.
The evocative text is sure to inspire lively questions and observations. Yet while poetic in voice and elegant in design, the book introduces children to more than 60 types of eggs and an interesting array of egg facts. Even the endpapers brim with information. A tender and fascinating guide that is equally at home being read to a child on a parent's lap as in a classroom reading circle.
Review
Like the subject matter it describes, this book packages with understated elegance the substantive matter found within it. "An egg is quiet. It sits there, under its mother's feathers . . . on top of its father's feet . . . buried beneath the sand," Aston (
When You Were Born) begins, as spot illustrations zero in on a hummingbird, emperor penguin and sea turtle, respectively. The narrative then launches into a kind of survey about the characteristics of eggs, which follows a simple format. In most spreads, different adjectives (colorful, shapely, textured, etc.) complete the sentence, "An egg is . . . ." This repetitive rhythm contrasts with the visual variety of the illustrations. Long's (
Sylvia Long's Mother Goose) skilled use of contrast and compositional balance prevent monotony. For example, a border that resembles a color test pattern runs down the outer edges of a spread of nearly 40 carefully placed "colorful" examples, set against a white background, which dazzle the eye. The main text appears in large, flowery cursive, while a smaller printed typeface serves as labels and brief factual captions. "An egg is clever," in fancy script, for instance, sits alongside examples of camouflage: "An egg might be speckled to resemble the rocks around it." The letters' dramatic curlicues mimic curvy grasses and vines dappled with tiny insect eggs. Long introduces breathtaking color into the final spreads, as a concluding scene "hatches from" this peacefulness, reminding readers of an egg's purpose. This attractive volume pleases on both an aesthetic and intellectual level. -
Publishers Weekly, starred review
"Worthy successor to Ruth Heller's Chickens Aren't The Only Ones (1981), this engrossing album pairs images of dozens of precisely detailed eggs and their diverse wild parents to basic facts presented in neatly hand-lettered lines. Nearly all depicted actual size (and those that aren't, are consistently so labeled), Long's eggs look real enough to pick up, whether placed in natural settings or suspended on white pages. All, whether from birds, insects, reptiles, fish or amphibians, are not only identified, but Aston adds both topical phrases-"Eggs come in different sizes"-to each spread and, usually, memorably presented additional facts: "An ostrich egg can weigh as much as 8 pounds. It's so big and so round, it takes two hands to hold one egg." A delight for budding naturalists of all stripes, flecks, dots and textures." -Kirkus Reviews, starred review
Review
"The succinct text will draw young fact hounds, particularly fans of Steve Jenkins'
Biggest, Strongest, Fastest 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." -
Booklist "An exceptionally handsome book...A beautiful guide to the unexpected panoply of 'the egg'." -School Library Journal
Review
"The open-ended quality of the verse and the visual nature of the subject create plenty of opportunities for the art. The striking scratchboard illustrations use black lines, shapes, and crosshatched shading on white backgrounds to create strong compositions, while watercolor washes add subtle warmth and brilliance. . .There are, of course, many school uses for this, but just reading it aloud at home will make the everyday fascinating."and#8212;Booklist, starred review
"The observations, from a few words to a couple sentences, are tucked neatly into Krommesand#8217;s gorgeous scratchboard spreads."and#8212;School Library Journal, starred review
"Exquisitely simple and memorable."and#8212;Kirkus, starred review
"From the endpapers that gather together all the spirals depicted to the spiraling text on the title page verso, this book is elegantly constructed, and as poetry, picture book, or nonfiction, a success in every way."and#8212;The Horn Book,and#160;starred review
"This is one of those rare childrenand#8217;s books that make you look at the physical world differently. . .spirals are beautifuland#8212;whether we see in them hints of infinity, the promise of unfolding potential, or the embodiment of mathematical perfection."and#8212;Publishers Weekly,and#160;starred review
Review
andquot;Created from cut and torn papers with interesting coloration and textures, Jenkinsand#39; distinctive illustrations show up well against the white backgrounds. This intriguing presentation will be an asset to many kindergarten and primary-grade classes.andquot;
andmdash;Booklist
andquot;Appealing, accessible, and accurate, this is another admirable creation.andquot;
andmdash;Kirkus
andquot;Like Jenkins and Pageand#39;s other works, this delightful purchase combines big, bold illustrations with intriguing science.
andmdash;School Library Journal
and#160;
Synopsis
Why do you pick up a snail shell and think its beautiful? and#12288;Why does that shape occur in nature over and over again and#8212; in rushing rivers, in a flower bud, even inside your ear? Spirals and#8212; bold and beautiful, are simple but exquisite,and#160; familiar but mysterious -- are everywhere.and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160; With simplicity and grace, Krommes and Sidman not only reveal the many spirals in nature -- from fiddleheads to elephant tusks, from crashing waves to spiraling galaxies -- but also celebrate
the beauty and usefulness of this fascinating shape.
Synopsis
This stunningly beautiful and wonderfully informative book from award-winning artist Sylvia Long and author Dianna Hutts Aston makes for a fascinating introduction to the vast and amazing world of eggs. Featuring poetic text and an elegant design, this acclaimed book teaches children countless interesting facts about eggs. Full of wit and charm, An Egg Is Quiet will at once spark the imagination and cultivate a love of science.
Synopsis
The Caldecott Honor-winning team cracks the code of the incredible egg.and#160;Explore how a simple, often colorful, sometimes surprisingly shaped package, reveals nature's life cycle, unusual animal defensive strategies, parenting behavior, evolution, and more, in this beautifully illustrated non-fiction picture book.
Synopsis
Hatching a plan for survival isnandrsquo;t always easy in the wild. And how animals lay, protect, and even use each otherand#39;s eggs as a food source help reveal the life cycle of the natural world. Eggs come in all shapes and sizes. The ostrichandrsquo;s is the largest, but some are so small, you need a microscope to spot them. Animals hide them and disguise them in smart and surprising ways, too. Some abandon their eggs, while others protect them fiercely and carry them wherever they go. There are as many kinds of eggs as there are animals that depend on them, because in the animal kingdom, the fight for survival begins with the simple, but extraordinary, egg.
Synopsis
A Caldecott medalist and a Newbery Honor-winning poet celebrate the beauty and value of spirals.What makes the tiny snail shell so beautiful? Why does that shape occur in nature over and over againand#8212;in rushing rivers, in a flower bud, even inside your ear?
With simplicity and grace, Joyce Sidman's poetry paired with Beth Krommes's scratchboard illustrations not only reveal the many spirals in natureand#8212;from fiddleheads to elephant tusks, from crashing waves to spiraling galaxiesand#8212;but also celebrate the beauty and usefulness of this fascinating shape.
About the Author
Newbery-Honor winning poet Joyce Sidman is theand#160;author of
Song of the Water Boatman and
Red Sings from Treetops, both Caldecott Honor Books, as well as other fine books of poetry.and#160; For her remarkable poetry, she has won, severaland#160; times, both the Lee Bennet Hopkins Award and Bank Street's Claudia Lewis Award.and#160; About writingand#160; this book she says "For me, writing is a matter of finding what things amaze and intrigue me and what things give me joy."and#160; She lives in Wayzata, Minnesota.
Beth Krommes is the Caldecott Winner of The House in the Night and other beautifully illustrated, much-acclaimed picture books.and#160; She lives in Peterborough, NH.and#160; www.bethkrommes.com