Guess What Is Growing Inside This Egg

May 14, 2007
M
ore than just chickens come from eggs, as Posada (Ladybugs)
explains. In fact, all kinds of critters—from spiders to penguins to octopuses—begin life as hatchlings. The repeated refrain, “Can you guess what is growing inside this egg?” pairs with a simple riddle-in-verse, prompting readers to identify various creatures. “This egg sits snugly on its father's feet./ He warms it with his body's heat./ Under his feathered belly, it's cozy and warm./ Safe from the icy Antarctic storm.” Although the eggs are presented up close, visual clues—often a glimpse of a nearby animal parent—provide helpful hints. (Here, the answer should be clear to any fans of March of the Penguins
or Happy Feet
.) A page turn reveals the answer, as well as a more expansive view of the animals' habitats and some prose factoids (“You can actually see the baby octopuses inside their eggs!”). Posada's paint and collage pictures are sumptuous in both texture and color; she beautifully evokes the furriness of a penguin's belly and the mounded dirt and sticks of an alligator's swampy nest. Even if the guessing may come easily, children will certainly learn a great deal about some youngsters of the animal kingdom. Ages 5-9.

June 1, 2007
K-Gr 2 -Eggs that do not come in stock sizes suited to specially designed cartons at the supermarket (no matter what the kids think) can be fascinating in their infinite variety. For each different kind of ova, Posada presents a clue-filled verse, a teasing fragment of a watercolor collage, and the universal question about what is developing inside the featured egg. A quick flip of the page reveals the answer with a full-blown illustration and an informative paragraph on the featured creature. (Yes, a purist might carp on being told the spider spun her egg case "with her eight long legs" with nary a mention of spinnerets, but spiders do use their legs to distribute the spun silk, so never mind.) The text is brief and to the point, and the charming collages generate Waldo-like searches for a clue to parental identity. Final pages present the eggs in question in their actual sizes and a step-by-step visualization of the miraculous changes inside a duck egg from the 4th to the 26th day. For a tighter focus, think of titles like Martin Jenkins'sThe Emperor's Egg (1999), Ruth Horowitz'sCrab Moon (2000, both Candlewick) or Dianna Aston's luminousAn Egg Is Quiet (Chronicle, 2006). Attractive, informative, and fun for the younger set.Patricia Manning, formerly at Eastchester Public Library, NY

Copyright 2007 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

April 1, 2007
This attractive picture book presents six animals that hatch from eggs: penguins, alligators, ducklings, sea turtles, spiders, and octopuses. Each appears on a pair of double-page spreads. The first spread is a guessing game, telling a little about the animal in two rhymed couplets, showing a close-up of an egg in its natural setting, and asking "Can you guess what is growing inside this egg?" The next spread reveals the answer to the riddle and offers information about the featured animals physical attributes and behaviors. Distinctive collage-and-watercolor artwork offers eye-catching views of the animals within their habitats. Back matter includes a spread showing the actual sizes of the eggs in the book and another showing a cross-sectional view of a duck developing within an egg. With its playful use of a questions-and-answer structure to engage children, this will be a good read-aloud choice for egg-related science units in the primary grades.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2007, American Library Association.)