Common Sense Media Review
By Jan Carr
,
based on child development research. How do we rate?
Sweet and simple tale of hatching, flying, and friendship.
Parents Need to Know
Why Age 4+?
Any Positive Content?
Where to Read
What's the Story?
EGG begins with four eggs of different colors. When cracks appear in three, baby birds emerge and take off in flight. But one egg is still intact. We watch the egg, "waiting," and the three birds return to "listen." They peck at the egg, it cracks, and out pops a crocodile: "Surprise!" The birds fly off, but the crocodile is "alone, sad, lonely, miserable," so the birds return and perch on its back as "friends." The friends watch the sun, which morphs into an egg shape, and a bird of corresponding color takes flight.
Is It Any Good?
This masterful book with pastel eggs and matching baby birds -- and a surprise baby crocodile -- will appeal to very young readers who will clamor to reread it. Egg showcases what author/illustrator Kevin Henkes does best: create a simple book that's also powerful and meaningful. Kids will have fun chiming in with isolated, repeated words such as "waiting" and "peck-peck-peck" and will identify with the young animals looking for friendship and fun. The end, in which a peach-colored sun evolves into an egg and a matching-colored bird is seen flying off, is odd enough to tickle young brains and stoke the fires of wonder.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about the surprises in Egg. Did you expect a crocodile to come out of the unhatched egg? What other animals can you think of that hatch from eggs?
What's the message in the story about friendship? How is the message communicated in the words? In the art?
What happens with the sun at the end of the story? What do you think the word "maybe" on the last page means?
Book Details
- Author :
- Illustrator : Kevin Henkes
- Genre : Picture Book
- Topics : Friendship , STEM , Animals ( Wild Animals )
- Book type : Fiction
- Publisher : Greenwillow
- Publication date : January 3, 2017
- Publisher's recommended age(s) : 4 - 8
- Number of pages : 40
- Available on : Hardback
- Last updated : September 30, 2025
Did we miss something on diversity?
Research shows a connection between kids' healthy self-esteem and positive portrayals in media. That's why we've added a new "Diverse Representations" section to our reviews that will be rolling out on an ongoing basis. You can help us help kids by
Suggest an Update
Common Sense Media's unbiased ratings are created by expert reviewers and aren't influenced by the product's creators or by any of our funders, affiliates, or partners.
See how we rate