Dianna Aston is the founder of her non-profit foundation, The Oz Project, and also an annual teen writers workshop for underprivileged teens in Mexico. Sylvia Long is the illustrator of many best-selling books for children. Her detailed paintings are inspired by her love of animals and the outdoors.
"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
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
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