Module 11: An Egg is Quiet

Summary:
This book describes the shape of eggs, their texture, where they can be laid, colors, and life cycles. Facts are given about each egg along with text written in calligraphy that is descriptive about the egg. One page illustrates how different animals grow inside their eggs before they are born. Many animals that lay eggs are featured in this book.

Reference:
Aston, D. & Long, S. (2006). An egg is quiet. San Francisco: Chronicle Books LLC.

Reviews:
Engberg, G. (2006, April 15). The Booklist, Vol. 102, No. 16.
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.


My Impressions of the Book:
I like the mix of colors the illustrator chose for this book. They are eye catching and there's a lot of attention to detail in each picture. The artsy calligraphy is a nice blend with the facts about eggs.

Uses in a library setting:
This book would be an excellent way of introducing or teaching about life cycles.