First the Egg

First the Egg. Laura Vaccaro Seeger. New York: Roaring Book Press, 2007. 26 pages. $14.95 (Hardcover). ISBN 978-1-59643-272-7. Baby-K.

Laura Vaccaro Seeger plays with the idea of which comes first, the chicken or the egg as a way of teaching very young children about transformation and the creation of different things; animals, art, nature, etc. Instead of posing questions, however, she takes a teaching approach using simple statements and illustrations to show the order of changes. She states “First the egg then the chicken” on the first few pages of the book, illustrating the process with the initial egg, a chick, and then a full grown chicken. She ends the book with “First the chicken then the egg” using a chicken, a nest, and a hatching egg for illustration. She shows the cyclical nature of life in a way that children will find beautiful through pictures, simple words, and repetition. Intended for very small children, First the Egg is a great concept book to show changes. Kids will love to flip through it on their own and look at the beautiful pictures that are especially interesting due to the multifunctional cut outs. This book is great for library and home use. Highly Recommended