The Egg - Hardcover

Teckentrup, Britta

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 3791372947 ISBN 13: 9783791372945

Publisher: Prestel Junior, 2017

Synopsis

Beautiful, whimsical, and entertaining, this book of illustrations by Britta Teckentrup shows eggs in all their fragility, complexity, and variety. Is there anything as simple as an egg? Is there anything as complex? In this gorgeous picture book, Britta Teckentrup portrays eggs through the eyes of an artist. From hummingbirds to the extinct elephant bird, illustrations of the avian world’s smallest and largest eggs demonstrate the variety present in nature. Pastel studies explore the rainbow of soft colors and intricate patterns that make eggs of common birds seem incredibly striking. In Teckentrup’s hands, a scattering of broken egg shells become abstract art; a nest of unhatched eggs suggest the possibility and promise of life. Her studies of songbirds and nests are themselves beautifully composed works of color and line. A lovely meditation on the diversity of eggs, this magnificent book offers hours of lingering pleasure, and becomes fertile ground for conversation and imagination.

About this title

About the Author

Britta Teckentrup is the author and illustrator of many adored children’s books, including the bestselling The Memory Tree, The Odd One Out, and Grumpy Cat, along with Before I Wake Up... and Oskar Loves... (both by Prestel). Her most recent book on weather phenomena was nominated for Germany’s most prestigious children’s book award. She lives and works in Berlin.

From School Library Journal

Gr 2–6—In this European import, gorgeous, earth-tone illustrations and fact-packed text introduce one of nature's most perfectly designed wonders: "An egg is fragile and strong at the same time—ordinary and extraordinary." Handsome spreads briefly cover an array of topics from the biological to the more philosophical. The bulk of the volume focuses on birds, describing the variety in shape and color of the eggs of different species, the anatomy of a chicken egg and embryonic development, and the largest egg (Madagascar's now-extinct elephant bird's, at about 13.39 inches) and the smallest egg (a hummingbird's, at .39 inches). A section highlighting the construction of various nests features the female oriole's tightly woven pouch nest, the mud mounds of the flamingo, the woodpecker's tree cavity hideaway, the guillemot's dangerous cliff nest (should the eggs be knocked over, their "highly adapted" conical shape causes them to spin in a tight circle rather than fall off the edge), and more. The rest of the book dips into insect eggs, frog spawn, reptiles, trout eggs, and the platypus before switching gears to discuss the role of the egg in art, religion, and mythology as well as egg-related customs and symbolism. VERDICT Filled with fascinating tidbits and striking visuals, this title, with its miscellany-style format, is more appropriate for browsing and musing than report writing.—Joy Fleishhacker, Pikes Peak Library District, Colorado Springs

About this edition

• Publisher: Prestel Junior
• Publication date: 2017
• ISBN 10: 3791372947
• ISBN 13: 9783791372945
• Binding: Hardcover
• Language: English
• Number of pages: 96