Egg: Nature's Perfect Package by Steve Jenkins and Robin Page

Egg: Nature's Perfect Package is the newest book from the brilliant Steve Jenkins and Robin Page, who always make seemingly uninteresting topics interesting and interesting topics even more interesting! I definitely recommend checking out the amazing making of page on their website to get a real idea of everything that goes into creating one of their books.

Egg: Nature's Perfect Package begins with text in the shape of an egg that introduces readers to the many wonders of eggs, from size and shape to how and where they are laid and how and when they hatch. From there, Egg: Nature's Perfect Package is laid out in the thoughtful, scientific way that Jenkins and Page are known for. "Egg Layers" shows us  the variety of egg layers in the world and the visuals on their eggs, including actual sizes of said eggs. Next, where to lay the eggs and how many followed by predators who eat eggs. It was a surprise to me to learn that the toucan uses its long bill to reach into the nests of other birds and eat their eggs.

Egg eaters are followed by "Egg Protection" and "Egg Packaging" and an especially fascinating two page spread on carrying eggs. Incubation and hatching wrap up the book with one final awesome spread that shows what the inside of the egg for a chicken and an alligator looks like as they grow inside the shell. The backmatter has thumbnail illustrations of the fifty-four egg laying animals mentioned in the book with size and habitat information.

The best thing about Egg: Nature's Perfect Package is that it works on many levels. All kids are interested in what animals hatch from eggs and Egg: Nature's Perfect Package can be read sparingly for listeners with short attention spans or handed over to emerging readers ready to dive into  some really great non-fiction.

Source: Review Copy