Oona Finds an Egg

October 12, 2015
Eager for a pet, Oona Oodlethunk, the prehistoric narrator of this gleefully ana-
chronistic series opener, brings home an enormous abandoned egg and dotingly cares for it, despite not knowing what’s inside. “It’s going
to hatch into Something Cute,” she tells herself, while worrying that it could be anything from a fossil to a giant raptor. (True, our prehistoric forebears didn’t coexist with dinosaurs, but neither did they have names like Allison and Dave, as best we know.) Oona’s forward-thinking parents (her mother is designing an ad campaign for the wheel while her father experiments in the kitchen) help with egg care, but when bully Bruce Brute decides he wants the egg, things get tricky. An author’s note explains Griffin’s (The Unfinished Life of Addison Stone) mixing of fact and fiction, while Wu’s decidedly Flinstonian artwork—a mix of single- and double-page scenes, as well as comics sequences—adds to the fun. While millennia may separate Oona from today’s readers, they should have no trouble relating to her struggles with sibling rivalry, troublesome bullies, and finding the perfect pet. Ages 8–12. Agent: Emily van Beek, Folio Literary Management.

October 15, 2015
If you think children's books set in prehistory are all about the boys, Oona Oodlethunk's got your number. Meet the Oodlethunks. If the Flintstones were creatures of the early 1960s, then the Oodlethunks are their hipster millennial cousins. Mom's an on-the-go ad exec (her latest campaign: "It's not just a wheel"); Dad sells new recipes at the farmers market; little brother Bonk lives up to his name; and Oona just wants a pet her brother won't be allergic to. When she finds a gigantic abandoned egg, she thinks her prayers have been answered. Maybe it's a dud or contains a predator, but maybe it'll hatch into Something Cute. No matter what, Oona will do anything to protect it. She'll even conquer her greatest fear after the yet-unhatched Eggy disappears from Oona's home in broad daylight. Adults who bristle at the questionable chronology (prehistoric rope bridges and dino encounters?) are invited to take a chill pill. After all, the plot and central mystery surrounding Eggy's disappearance are cleverly done, and facts about the flora and fauna surrounding West Woggle, the topography of Denver (which will eventually replace West Woggle), and even the state fossil of Colorado crop up in unexpected places. Animation artist Wu's expressive drawings neatly bring this new modern Stone Age family's antics to life. Prehistoric? More like pre-hysterical. (Fantasy. 6-10)

COPYRIGHT(2015) Kirkus Reviews, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

January 1, 2016

Gr 1-3-Oona wants a pet more than anything. Unfortunately, her younger brother is allergic to the coveted animal she really wants. Then she makes an amazing discovery, stumbling upon a very special egg. Once it has hatched, the siblings are shocked to discover a baby stegosaurus. Oona and Bruce go head-to-head over possession of the prehistoric pet. Funny and informational, this introductory story to Griffin's new chapter book series offers a modern twist on cave dwellers. The father is a stay-at-home would-be chef, while the mother works at marketing a newfangled contraption called a wheel. The mix of choppy, cave-child dialogue and cartoony illustrations makes for a playful, fast tale to which most modern kids can relate-sibling rivalry, the desire for a pet, the trials and tribulations of school and bullies. Griffin peppers her story with history, setting it in what would now be Colorado. There is an author's note describing the history of the area and the animals featured in the story. VERDICT A good chapter series for newly emergent and/or reluctant readers.-Kaitlin Malixi, Virginia Beach Public Library, VA

Copyright 2016 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

December 1, 2015
Grades 2-4 Acclaimed Griffin deviates from her traditional middle- and high-school fare to create something for the elementary-school crowd. In this Flintstones-esque story, Oona Oodlethunk finds an egg. After lugging it back to her family's cave, she excitedly considers what the egg might become. Will it always remain an egg, or will it hatch into something either wonderful or dreadful? Patiently, she cares for Egg. However, unbeknownst to her, the day she goes to market, her younger brother, Bonk, trades Egg for Bruce Brute's bison bracelet. When Oona returns home, she is distraught that Egg is missing and searches everywhere around the cave and their yard. At last, Bonk confesses to his misdeed. He and Oona rush to Bruce's cave in time to see the egg crack and a beautiful baby stegosaurus emerge. Now the tension between Oona and Bruce escalateswho will win Steg's loyalty? Wu's hilarious charcoal drawings are sure to elicit giggles from young readers, adding levity to this classic story of sibling rivalry and neighborhood bullies.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2015, American Library Association.)