Aston, Dianna. (2006). Illustrated by Sylvia Long. An egg is quiet. San Francisco:
Chronicle Books. 36 pages. ISBN-13: 978-0-8118-4428-4
Awards:
Kirkus Starred Review, 2006
Publisher’s Weekly Starred Review, 2006
New York Library’s 100 titles for reading and sharing, 2006
Junior Library Guild Premier Selection
NRP Science Friday Science Book Picks, 2006
American Academy for the Advancement of Science Prize for Excellence in Science Books finalist, 2007
Classification: picture book
Genre: informational
Content area: science
Grade level: K-6
Credibility of author: The author and illustrator give thanks to Frank D. Jackson and Dr. Jack Horner, Department of Earth Science, Montana State University; Blake Newton, the University of Kentucky; Pauline Tom, founder and president of the Texas Bluebird Society; and Martha Tacha, wildlife biologist.
Summary: This book introduces children to all the different qualities and characteristics of eggs from a variety of sources such as salmons, frogs, turtles, and many types of birds.
Standard: Life Science IV (Environment and Ecology)
Illustrations: They are two page spreads done in ink and watercolor. The endpapers replicate the shell of a bird’s egg with a blue background and brown speckles.
Text: The author uses large and small informative text to meet the needs of a variety of readers.
Tone: narrative
Voice: poetic and flowing like a bedtime story
Language: simple and soothing
Access features: The end pages feature samples of egg and bird identification. There is a two-page spread that shows the illustrated life cycle of a chicken, salmon, and grasshopper from egg to adulthood.
Use: I would use this book as a read aloud for kindergarten through second grade and for independent reading for third through sixth grade. I would use this book during a science unit on animals, particularly birds.
Response: This book is beautifully written and illustrated. I kept looking at the illustrations over and over. In fact, that’s what attracted me to this book from the beginning. After reading it, I would really love to own a copy.
Related texts:
The Adventures of Pelican Pete: A Bird is Born by Francis Keiser
A Seed is Sleepy by Dianna Aston follows the same format.
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2 comments:
I also found the illustrations in this book very engaging.
Hi Debbie,
I found the sequel to this book,A Seed Is Sleepy. It has the same format and design as An Egg Is Quiet. So when I tried to read it, I could only hear your voice reading, softly and quietly. Isn't that something?
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