The Egg (Time to Read) - Softcover

Robertson, M. P.

Softcover

ISBN 10: 1847805515 ISBN 13: 9781847805515

Publisher: Frances Lincoln Children's Books, 2014

Synopsis

One day George finds more than he bargained for under his mother's favorite chicken: a giant egg. He soon finds himself looking after a baby dragon. George takes his job as a parent seriously, teaching the hatchling all sorts of dragony ways, but the dragon begins to pine for his own kind, and one day he disappears. Created in consultation with a literacy specialist, this edition is designed to support children who are gaining confidence in reading.

About this title

About the Author

M. P. Robertson studied illustration at Kingston University. He is an internationally acclaimed author and illustrator of children's books. His many books include The Great Dragon Rescue, The Dragon Snatcher, Frank 'n' Stan, Food Chain, Hieronymus Betts and His Unusual Pets, and Ice Trap!, written by Meredith Hooper. He lives with his family in Wiltshire, U.K.

From Publishers Weekly

In the tantalizing opening pages of this fantasy, a boy peers into a henhouse and sees a hen perched upon an enormous golden-brown egg: "George knew something wasn't right when he found more than he bargained for under his mother's favorite chicken." The only clue to the egg's source is a mysterious hole in the henhouse roof. George uses a wheelbarrow to maneuver the armchair-sized egg into his house, and in a tense four-part spread, he watches as something ("It definitely wasn't a chicken!") starts to hatch. After an all-too-brief period of suspense, a muscular, bat-winged baby dragon emerges, and George patiently trains it to fly and to aim its fiery breath. Robertson's (The Bed and Breakfast House) delicate, detail-rich watercolors resemble those in Peter Collington's wordless books, and indeed some of Robertson's multipanel illustrations convey the duo's silent communication (since George "didn't speak Dragon"). In one sequence, a lesson in "How to Defeat a Knight," George uses a wooden sword to mimic a certain saint, then waves a white flag as the dragon looks at him with affection. Yet many practical considerations go unpictured: How does George get the gigantic egg through his bedroom door? How does he befriend the dragon? And what does a kid feed a giant green lizard? Robertson hints at the magic in his opening pages, but unlike other tales with similar premises (such as Dick King-Smith's middle-grade novel The Water-Horse), his story doesn't realize its potential. Ages 4-8. (Jan.)
Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc.

About this edition

• Publisher: Frances Lincoln Children's Books
• Publication date: 2014
• ISBN 10: 1847805515
• ISBN 13: 9781847805515
• Binding: Paperback
• Language: English
• Number of pages: 32