Eggday - Hardcover

Dunbar, Joyce

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0823415104 ISBN 13: 9780823415106

Publisher: Holiday House, 1999

Synopsis

Dora the duck involves the other barnyard animals in a contest to find out who can lay the best egg

About this title

From Publishers Weekly:

In a story both clever and wise, Dora the duck decrees that the following day will be "eggday," complete with a competition for best egg. She tells Humphrey the horse to bring a "horse egg," Pogson the pig a "pig egg," and so on. Humphrey, Pogson and their pal Gideon the goat have no idea how to lay an egg, but they give it a spirited try, letting out a cacophony of oinking, neighing and bleating. Dunbar's (This Is the Star) text, suspended in black type at an angle, seems simple and purely funny, but it implicitly reminds readers of familiar, worthwhile lessons about competition and creativity. Hetty the hen, matter-of-factly pointing out that the male animals from non-egg-laying species aren't equipped for Dora's task, suggests an imaginative alternative. Cabrera's (Cat's Colors) eye-catching artwork covers every inch of the double-page spreads with thick brushstrokes in vibrant colors that seem infused with the spring sunshine; the curving horizon in her backgrounds is just one sign of the inspired, childlike style of her compositions. Ages 3-6.
Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Kirkus Reviews:

Dunbar (Tell Me Something Happy Before I Go to Sleep, 1998, etc.) joins Helme Heine (The Most Wonderful Egg in the World, 1983) and Mary Jane Auch (The Easter Egg Farm, 1992) in serving up with gusto a cast of unusual egg producers. When Dora the duck announces ``Tomorrow is Eggday,'' Pogson the pig, Humphrey the horse, and Gideon the goat are puzzled as to how they will lay a pig egg, a horse egg, and a goat egg in their respective efforts to win the contest. The instructive Hetty Hen, a true egg-layer, quickly sets them straight, lending her own eggs, which they decorate for the contest. As expected, Dora the duck's own egg hatches overnight, and she declares a new holidayDuckling Day. Cabrera transforms the farmyard plot with a pleasingly free-form style and candy-bright colors. Every page bristles with color; brush strokes, dots, blots, and thumbprints create multi-layered scenes that fairly sing. (Picture book. 3-6) -- Copyright ©1999, Kirkus Associates, LP. All rights reserved.

About this edition

• Publisher: Holiday House
• Publication date: 1999
• ISBN 10: 0823415104
• ISBN 13: 9780823415106
• Binding: Hardcover
• Number of pages: 32
• Illustrator: Cabrera Jane