by Emily Gravett
That “beauty is in the eye of the beholder” is never more evident than in Emily Gravett’s latest story, the Odd Egg.
All the birds had laid an egg except Duck.
All the birds had laid an egg except Duck.
One day, Duck came across an enormous egg with green spots near the river. She thought it was beautiful, but it was so unusual in appearance that the other birds laughed and laughed.
After a few days, all the eggs except Duck’s had hatched. Everyone was intrigued. When would it hatch? Would it hatch at all? As time went on, only Duck, knitting patiently near the egg, believed that something would eventually happen.
Finally, one day, there was a “creak”, a “crack” and a loud “snap!” from the egg… and a baby crocodile appeared! Duck was so happy! Right away, she loved her baby despite its unducklike appearance and habits…. and despite the ridicule of the other birds.
The author has used a minimum of words to convey the theme of unconditional love in this story. In fact, the economy of text is one of the beauties of this tale, a technique which serves to highlight the excellent illustrations in this wise and witty picture book for preschoolers and their parents.
** Recommended for ages 3 to 6 years.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
Posts
0 comments:
Post a Comment