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13th out of 121 books
—
28 voters
An Egg Is Quiet
Award-winning artist Sylvia Long has teamed with up-and-coming author Dianna Aston to create this gorgeous and informative introduction to eggs. From tiny hummingbird eggs to giant ostrich eggs, oval ladybug eggs to tubular dogfish eggs, gooey frog eggs to fossilized dinosaur eggs, it magnificently captures the incredible variety of eggs and celebrates their beauty and won...more
Hardcover, 36 pages
Published
March 2nd 2006
by Chronicle Books
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An Egg is Quiet is a rich natural history picture book, celebrating diversity by showcasing over sixty eggs from birds, fish, reptiles, insects and more. Aston’s poetic introduction (“It sits there, under it’s mother’s feathers… on top of it’s father’s feet… buried beneath the sand. Warm. Cozy.”) is the jumping off point for an eggs factapolooza. Eggs are described visually as shapely, colorful, textured, and artistic, with beautifully rendered examples of each. Eggs are also characterized as cl...more
Spring break is coming up soon! I enjoy walking around Lake Elizabeth and seeing all of the freshly hatched ducklings and goslings waddling after their mothers. Ducks and geese aren't the only ones hatching out of eggs. In fact, different types eggs -- although they posess so much variety -- have a lot in common.
This book, An Egg is Quiet, by Dianna Aston, has fabulous pictures to help you identify eggs as well as wealth of information about eggs.
An egg is quiet.
An egg is colorful.
An egg is shap...more
This book, An Egg is Quiet, by Dianna Aston, has fabulous pictures to help you identify eggs as well as wealth of information about eggs.
An egg is quiet.
An egg is colorful.
An egg is shap...more
Dec 15, 2011
Katelynn Callahan
added it
This book is written by Dianna Hutts Aston and illustrated by Sylvia Long. It is about eggs of all different types of animals and creatures. The idea of this book does not seem very exciting but An Egg is Quiet is a beautiful book that is filled with great facts but also very intriguing. It is best for students who already have taken an interest in nature. Each part of the book talks in detail about eggs such as colors, textures ect. The illustrator uses ink and watercolors. The text is bold and...more
With a whole slew of spring books chosen from the library, this is the one my 6-year-olds went back to again and again. They adored seeing the various shapes, sizes, and colors of the eggs and trying to match the illustrations to eggs they've seen in life. Also fascinating to them was the illustration of embryonic development inside a hen egg, a salmon egg, and a grasshopper egg. The information itself was a bit beyond their capabilities, but the pictures got across to them those things they wer...more
A beautiful, gentle and fascinating story of eggs; bird egg, insect eggs, fish eggs... There is enough "story" through the consistency of the poem, repeating the "An egg is..." for various aspects, such as "Quiet" or "Smooth" etc. that this feels like a cozy read aloud rather than an informational volume. And I love the illustrations! As a kid, I would have poured over all the different types of eggs, noting the different colors and speckles and even shapes! We follow the eggs through the embryo...more
5 likes · like · see review
Dec 03, 2009
Lisa Vegan
rated it
5 of 5 stars
Recommends it for:
children of all ages who are captivated by the natural world
Recommended to Lisa by:
Kathryn
I recently read A Seed Is Sleepy and I didn’t think I’d like this book as much, but actually it was at least as magical, entertaining, and educational.
I never knew eggs came in so many sizes (the eggs are shown at their exact size except the ones labeled as larger than actual size) and shapes and colors and patterns and textures. As a kid I would have spent hours perusing the images of each of these eggs and then gone back many times for more viewing sessions. So many of the eggs are truly gorge...more
I never knew eggs came in so many sizes (the eggs are shown at their exact size except the ones labeled as larger than actual size) and shapes and colors and patterns and textures. As a kid I would have spent hours perusing the images of each of these eggs and then gone back many times for more viewing sessions. So many of the eggs are truly gorge...more
4 likes · like · see review
This book was right up my niece's alley. She loves non-fiction books, and she loves nature, so An Egg Is Quiet was something very enjoyable for her. She and I particularly enjoyed that this book showed eggs from birds, reptiles, amphibians, fish, and even from insects, and she was very impressed with the page that showed the development of a chicken, grasshopper, and salmon embryo. She even took the time to try to educate her little brother about that, but unfortunately, he wasn't in the mood to...more
An egg is quiet, colorful, shapely, clever, artistic, textured, and giving. "Then, suddenly, an egg is noisy."
Dianna Hutts Aston introduces eggs in a spare manner accessible even to young preschoolers, while accompanying her words with Sylvia Long's exquisite, labeled pictures of eggs from birds, insects, reptiles, and fish. Because it is simultaneously simple and complex, the book achieves what the best juvenile nonfiction should: provide new knowledge and insight for a reader of any age. Even...more
Dianna Hutts Aston introduces eggs in a spare manner accessible even to young preschoolers, while accompanying her words with Sylvia Long's exquisite, labeled pictures of eggs from birds, insects, reptiles, and fish. Because it is simultaneously simple and complex, the book achieves what the best juvenile nonfiction should: provide new knowledge and insight for a reader of any age. Even...more
I'm not really a big fan of non-fiction books, but I actually enjoyed this book. It's about the different kinds of eggs that are around us every day, from the ones that we eat, to the exotic eggs that we've never seen before. I think that it was both very informative and easy for kids to follow. It was a different kind of book, because eggs aren't really talked about very much, but the author did a good job of keeping the reader engaged. I really enjoyed all of the pictures of the different eggs...more
I used this last week in programs for children as young as 2. The illustrations, combined with the line in big print on each page, made it work beautifully for these smaller kids. They were really fascinated by the spreads on colors, shapes and on the petrified dinosaur egg.
This was even better with the older (3-6 year old) crowd. For them, the details in the text were helpful with the discussions each 2 page spread inspired. And the end papers, showing the huge variety of animals that hatched f...more
This was even better with the older (3-6 year old) crowd. For them, the details in the text were helpful with the discussions each 2 page spread inspired. And the end papers, showing the huge variety of animals that hatched f...more
I love this book for the beautiful illustrations and the provocative statements that make readers think about eggs in a whole new way. Each spread features a simple statement in large cursive style text and supporting details in smaller type. The main text includes such proclomations as "An egg is clever." and "An egg is giving." These aren't statements we typically associate with eggs, but the sidebars reinforce the main statement and give readers a new appreciation for the way in which many of...more
The illustrations are beautiful, and the idea is good, but the illustrations overwhelm the text. This is the kind of book that adults would be thrilled about because of the quality of the artwork without thinking about how the young reader would be engaged. If it's supposed to be a book to get children interested in the broad range of animal life, then the text should be presented in such a way to help them read the names of the animals. I feel bad giving it a so-so review because it's obvious t...more
An Egg is Quiet is an excellent non-fiction picture book for children! The illustrations are captivating and will keep children's attention while they learn about the amazing phenomenon of eggs! This book is full of information for children about eggs and I'm sure that this book can be incorporated into a science lesson in the classroom. This book may not be picked up by a child because of it's interesting title, but for a read aloud this book is great because it will show kids that even non-fic...more
Gorgeous. I want badly to give it five stars. However, I have a major beef about one aspect of the science.
The concept of evolution is still not universally accepted. One reason why is that it is misunderstood. That is because, all too often, we are taught that evolution is somehow 'purposeful' and that it leads to 'higher' or superior life-forms. This is wrong.
Evolution works by *chance.* The offspring that have the *most appropriate* characteristics (not the 'best' adaptations!) for their envi...more
The concept of evolution is still not universally accepted. One reason why is that it is misunderstood. That is because, all too often, we are taught that evolution is somehow 'purposeful' and that it leads to 'higher' or superior life-forms. This is wrong.
Evolution works by *chance.* The offspring that have the *most appropriate* characteristics (not the 'best' adaptations!) for their envi...more
2 likes · like · see review
This nonfiction book describes different characteristics of many different types of eggs. There are labels, captions, time-lines, and diagrams to help the reader understand and visualize the different types of eggs. Each pages goes through a different characteristic of what an egg is, i.e. "an egg is clever;" this page describes some eggs that are camouflaged, and other facts are listed on the page as well. Also, the illustrations are beautiful. This is a book that I would like to have in my fut...more
A wonderful book to incorporate a painless science lesson. An Egg Is Quiet has facts about eggs, all shapes and sizes. It allows students to realize that eggs are not all just plain, white, and one size only. There are speckled eggs, colored eggs, and enormous eggs. Students, especially pre-school age, will be stunned to know that eggs can be more than just white. They will love the illustrations and find humor in the story as well. A cute read for younger ages, first grade and below.
How do you get an 8 year-old boy whose main interest are Batman, Beyblades, the military, basketball, soccer and video games to fall in love with a book about eggs? You read him Dianna Hutts Aston and watch him fall in love with the writing and with Sylvia Long's illustrations. Yes, that's right. This is Josh's new favorite picture book. I want Sylvia Long to paint my house. Paint my car. Paint my shoes. Fan-tan-tabulous.
I didn't know what to expect when I opened this book. I mean, how much can you learn about eggs? I was pleasantly surprised, though. It is not only informative, it is beautifully written and illustrated on the different types of eggs, their color, shape, and size. It was very informative on the different animals that lay eggs and how they keep them safe. Children will be fascinated about all the information....I was!
Incredible! I love the elegance, detail, and beauty of the illustrations. The swirly font is a perfect match to the elegant illustrations. I enjoyed seeing all the different types of eggs in the beginning (and throughout the book) and then seeing all the creatures that came from the eggs at the end. What an amazing way to present information that might otherwise be boring.
I must find more books from Aston and Long.
I must find more books from Aston and Long.
3 likes · like · see review
This was a great book! Not only is it a cute story line, but the children are learning all about eggs as well. They are able to match the different eggs to the animal it belongs to. There are kid friendly pictures and the pictures are extremely colorful which catches the attention of little kids. I thought this was a great book and I think any little kid would enjoy reading it or getting it read to them.
Feb 22, 2010
Chandra
rated it
5 of 5 stars
Recommended to Chandra by:
Kathryn and Lisa and Christine
A GORGEOUS book! The cover illustration only gives a tiny glimpse of the treasures contained within. One of my very favorite features are the first and last pages - the first a two page spread featuring dozens of different eggs, the last a two page spread featuring all the animals hatched from those eggs. You could spend an hour just flipping back and forth - discussing, predicting and marveling. And that's only one tiny feature of this wonderful book. It also covers egg size, texture, developme...more
6 likes · like · see review
The illustrations are lovely and the idea is a pretty good one, but all in all it would be a bit boring for a kid. Unless the kid is in one of those explore the world and know everything moods, this book would be unsatisfying. I'm not sure how much research was really necessary for this book, but the author and illustrator did mention at least three Earth Science and biology doctors as well as members of natural societies as sources.
The illustrations in this book are amazing. When I first started reading this book I wasn't for sure if I wanted to read a whole book on eggs, but afterward I realized it was so much more than that. Even as an adult I learned some new things. This book will definitely change a child's image of the plain white egg as they explore textures, colors and sizes of various eggs!
A lovely book all about eggs. Dianna Aston addresses bird, insect and other animal eggs. The text is informative and interesting. Sylvia Long's illustrations are beautifully done and I spent more time inspecting the artwork as I did reading the text. Recommended for K - grade 2. Older and younger readers may also appreciate the pictures and information.
Beautiful illustrations! I like the way this book is written. The main text is very simple and appropriate for young children, but there is a lot of extra information included with the illustrations and in side text that makes a meatier read for a child who wants more information. I use this when I talk to kindergarten students about "what makes a bird a bird?"
This is a beautiful informational book about eggs. It gives simple information about different characteristics of eggs, like their color, shape, size, where you would find them, their texture, and even what’s happening inside the egg. The illustrations are pretty and lighthearted, definitely complementary instead of being busy and competing with the words.
This is a great book to illustrate all that eggs can be to young readers. It is factual, but also fun and entertaining to read. The illustrations are very intriguing and exciting, so they draw you in. this is a good read for pre-school-kindergarten. Many activities can be drawn from this book also. It could be a good read around easter time.
A beautifully illustrated introduction to eggs: their diversity and their purpose. I was disappointed that, when eggs were enlarged, it simply said "larger than actual size," rather than giving a general idea if it were 10 times larger, 100 times larger, etc. I think some sort of reference for that would have been helpful.
This beautifully illustrated book shows how an egg IS quiet--it just sits there, until... (it hatches. And then it gets noisy!!!)
The focus is on bird eggs, but some insect and other eggs are featured. I like books that have a simple text and then additional notes for children who are either older or very interested in the topic.
The focus is on bird eggs, but some insect and other eggs are featured. I like books that have a simple text and then additional notes for children who are either older or very interested in the topic.
The sparkly title caught my eye, and I'm glad it did, This is a book about eggs, all kinds of eggs: birds, fish, insects, amphibians, reptiles. It will get children thinking about the variety of animals that come from eggs, about birth and growth. It's sure to inspire an interest in the natural world. It would make a great purchase to have on reference when exploring during nature hikes or even a visit to the zoo. I think it's fun to see the types of eggs full grown animals started out in. Be su...more
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Dianna Hutts Aston was born in Houston, Texas, attended the University of Houston, and worked as a journalist for several years. LOONY LITTLE is her first picture book with Candlewick Press. She says, "It was one of the hottest summer days on record. My mind, of its own accord, kept wandering northward, to a wilderness of snow and ice, the Arctic. While listening to the news one evening, I heard P...more
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Nov 13, 2009 09:30am