An Egg is Quiet is a beautifully illustrated book that I happen to check out right around Easter time. My two year old son, Henry was quite fascinated by eggs and this book was perfect to share with him. I especially love the two page spreads of first the eggs and then the birds/animals that hatch from those eggs. Every page teaches something about eggs in an artful way and would be wonderful to share with students anytime of the year.
Library Uses
I would use this book when studying life cycles. I would also use this book to show how illustrations are just as important in informational as the text that goes along with it. It would be fun to have students pick another topic and write their own books in a similar manner, probably in small groups.
Reviews
Child Magazine
A lesson about eggs is really a lesson about life. Elegant, true-to-nature watercolors of countless eggsthose of field crickets to sea turtle and ostrich eggs-reveal their beauty, practicality, and variety. "An egg is shapely," reads the title of one spread, which shows a stunning turquoise-colored egg with cocoa-colored striations, coupled with this tidbit: "Seabird eggs are pointy at one end, so if they're laid on rock ledges, they roll around in safe little circles, not off the cliff." Readers will find a wealth of other fascinating facts, all a testament to nature's graceful designs and ingenious packaging. (Ages 6 to 8)
Child magazine's Best Children's Book Awards 2006
Publishers Weekly
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. Ages 5-10. (Apr.) Copyright 2006 Reed Business Information.
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