The Good Egg

The Food Group #2

by Jory John, Pete Oswald (Illustrator)

Meet the good egg. He’s a verrrrrry good egg indeed.

But trying to be so good is hard when everyone else is plain ol’ rotten.

As the other eggs in the dozen behave badly, the good egg starts to crack from all the pressure of feeling like he has to be perfect.

So, he decides enough is enough! It’s time for him to make a change…

Dynamic duo Jory John and Pete Oswald hatch a funny and charming story that reminds us of the importance of balance, self-care, and accepting those we love (even if they are sometimes a bit rotten).

Perfect for reading aloud and shared story time!


O Ovo Bom tem sido bonzinho desde que se lembra. Enquanto os seus colegas de caixa se portam mal, o Ovo Bom faz sempre tudo certo, é gentil e amável.

Aposto que estás a pensar, «quão bom pode ser um ovo»? Bem… Ele pode regar as tuas plantas. Pode trocar-te o pneu se tiveres um furo. Até te pode pintar a casa. Para qualquer coisa que precises, lá está ele! É verdade. É mesmo muito bom.

Mas um dia começa a quebrar. Será da pressão de querer ser sempre perfeito?

Uma história maravilhosa que nos lembra da importância de manter o equilíbrio, de cuidarmos de nós e de aceitarmos integralmente aqueles que amamos (mesmo os seus defeitos).

Genres: Picture Books, Childrens, Fiction, Humor, Storytime, Food, Mental Health

36 pages, Hardcover

First published February 12, 2019

About the author

Jory John is a #1 New York Times bestselling author and two-time E.B. White Read-Aloud Honor recipient.

Jory's work includes the #1 New York Times bestselling picture book, The Good Egg, and the #2 New York Times bestselling picture book, The Bad Seed, both illustrated by Pete Oswald. He is also the author of the popular picture books, Penguin Problems and Giraffe Problems, both illustrated by Lane Smith, the award-winning Goodnight Already! series, illustrated by Benji Davies, the New York Times bestselling Terrible Two series, the recent picture books Quit Calling Me a Monster! (with Bob Shea), Can Somebody Please Scratch My Back? (with Liz Climo), and the international bestseller, All my friends are dead, among many other books for both children and adults.

Reviews

[Kendall · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book teaches kids that you don't always have to be perfect, but doesn't teach them that they don't have to put up with being bullied and taking loads of shit from their "friends". Seemed to me like Egg settled because he was lonely and kids need to know they don't have to settle or give in. Loved the illustrations.

[Calista · Rating 5 out of 5]

We loved this book in our house. There were lots of things to laugh at. All the eggs in a carton had some funny faces and the niece and nephew laughed and laughed at all the rhyming names. There is also a picture of the egg escorting an old granny bacon across the street and they laughed at that. Eggs were in the toilet and sliding down stairs. I kept pointing out all the things happening in the book that both kids do. We laughed.

The good eggs lives with 11 other bad eggs and they stress him out to the point that his shell cracks and he has to go to the spa and take care of himself. He figures out some things in life and he goes home a different egg; a little looser and a little less uptight.

The Niece loved this book and gave this 4 stars. She wanted to read it to her brother on her own, which is a big deal. She wants to do a book review of this on youtube. I might try and make this work. We’ll see as school is about to start. The nephew loved all the eggs in the toilet and other things. He gave this 5 stars. They want to get this again from the library.

[Dez the Bookworm · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent Story! Or should I say Eggcelent?

Wonderful story about an egg who learns to let go and not put so much pressure on himself to control others. My son giggled the whole way through. Love this series!

[sAmAnE · Rating 5 out of 5]

کاش این کتاب وقتی کوچک‌تر بودم می‌خوندم، اینکه لازم نیست با دل همه راه بیام و برای همه خوب باشم تا من بپذیرن، گاهی خوبی بیش از انداره به دیگران مساوی ضربه‌های عمیق و جبران‌نشدنی به خودمونه! افسوس!

[Dream.M · Rating 5 out of 5]

خدایا این قشنگترین، بانمک ترین، نازنازی ترین و آموزنده ترین داستانی بود که توی این چند روز خوندم.
من خودم هرگز آدم کمالگرایی نبودم، کنترلگر چرا ولی اینکه بخوام همه چی خیلی عالی پیش بره و خودمو براش هلاک کنم نه.
این کتاب به بچه ها میگه که کمال‌گرا نباشید و تفاوت ها رو بپذیرید و از اون مهم تر بخاطر بقیه به خودتون آسیب نزنید.
مهم درس امروز: تو خودت مهم ترین آدم دنیایی!

[Dave Schaafsma · Rating 3 out of 5]

My family reads all the Goodreads-award-nominated picture books every year. This is book #6 (of more than 20) of 2019, and we were all over the map on this one, from 1-4.5 stars. A sequel to The Bad Seed?

Lyra (12): 4. Treat people the way they want to be treated! Yeah! I like the cute eggs.

Hank (13): 1. The "good," unrunny eggs.

Tara: 4. Cute. But he should not have gone home.

Harry (14): 4.5. Good drawings, and I agree with Mom. [sure, because he's the oldest!]

Dave: 2. I thought it was just okay, though the eggy art I liked pretty well. Okay; it asks the eternal (?) question: Can you be "too good" or "too nice"? Sure you can be helpful and nice, but make sure you take care of yourself. . . and then, sure, treat people the way they want to be treated, but what if they are jerks and you "have to" live with them? The author has a title I like, All My Friends are Dead (a book about dinosaurs), but neither that book nor this are as edgy as I would like.

[Rod Brown · Rating 1 out of 5]

Goodreads Choice Awards Project: Read as many of the opening round Best Picture Book nominees as possible. 11 to go!

I thought Humpty Dumpty already proved that eggs make lousy protagonists. Our ovoid hero has fallen in with a carton of bad eggs. He goes on a quest to become okay with the fact that you cannot change other eggs, only your attitude toward them. He then returns to the carton to eat their shit for the rest of his life. End of story.

Abusive relationships are okay? Not a moral I'd want my child to take away from any book.

[Shaghayegh · Rating 3 out of 5]

البته نذار خوبیت رو وظیفه تلقی کنن ؛ آخه اونوقت دوباره می شکنی . بعدش هم با رضایت نیمروت میکنن و تموم وجودت رو ذره ذره می بلعن =)

[Haniyeh · Rating 4 out of 5]

جلد دوم از مجموعه کتاب دانه بد (Bad Seed)
کمال گرایی و ایده آل گرایی رو میشه از بچگی تشخیص داد.
این کتاب سعی داره این مسئله رو برای بچه‌ها حل کنه. اینکه اگر همیشه بخوای همه چیز عالی باشه، میتونه اذیتت کنه و بهت آسیب بزنه؛ چرا؟ چون همه مثل تو نیستن. تو نمیتونی بقیه رو مثل خودت کنی یا سعی کنی اشتباهات بقیه رو با اضافه‌کاری خودت جبران کنی. اینطوری تو صدمه میبینی. پس سعی کن حساسیت خودت رو کمتر کنی و حتی گاهی باهاشون همراه بشی.
دوست داشتنی بود. فقط یک مورد درموردش بگم، از نظر من تصاویر کتاب در صفحات آخر یکم ایراد داره. میخواد از همراهی بگه اما انگار یکم تسلیم زورگویی و آزار دیگران شدن داخلش داره. این هم یکجور اذیت شدنه. به نظرم باید تصویرگری این مفهوم به شکل دیگری بود.
کتاب برای گروه سنی ب و ج (دوم تا ششم دبستان) نوشته شده.
داخل طاقچه میتونید پیداش کنید. ناشر کتاب "پرتقال" هست.

[La Coccinelle · Rating 4 out of 5]

Having read The Bad Seed last year, I was eager to give The Good Egg a try. I actually like this one a little more than its predecessor... mostly because I can really relate to the main character!

The good egg is verrrrrry good. He's a perfectionist... but it doesn't extend just to himself. He gets annoyed by the other eggs in his carton (who have amusing names; I won't spoil that for you) when they don't live up to his standards. So he decides to strike out on his own. After taking some time for himself, though, he realizes he's a bit lonely. When he returns to the carton with his newfound wisdom, he's a lot more mellow. He realizes he doesn't have to be good (i.e., perfect) all the time.

This will probably resonate with perfectionists and/or sticklers for the rules. I really could have used this book when I was a kid. It used to drive me bonkers when other kids wouldn't do what they were supposed to do or if they didn't do it the way I thought it should've been done. The message about just letting some things go--that not everything has to be perfect all the time--is a nice one. Some picture books with similar messages kind of hit you over the head (which I don't like), but The Good Egg is a moral wrapped up in a pun-filled story about a goody-two-shoes egg and his quest for perfection. Oswald's illustrations, simple though they might be, are just icing on the cake.

I would recommend both The Good Egg and The Bad Seed. While they tackle different topics, they're both fun to read (for children and adults alike).

[محمد شکری · Rating 5 out of 5]

داستان تخم مرغی که می‌خواهد به همه کمک کند، همه چیز را درست کند، جور همه را بکشد و همه کس را خوشحال کند چون فکر می‌کند تخم مرغ خوبی است و خوب بودن یعنی همین. او و یازده تخم مرغ دیگر در جعبه تخم‌مرغ‌ها زندگی می‌کنند و تنها کسی که می‌خواهد حواسش به بقیه باشد اوست. دست آخر فشار این مدل خوب بودن کار دستش می‌دهد و پوسته‌اش ترک برمی‌دارد. پس در عین بی‌محلی و بی‌تفاوتی باقی تخم‌مرغ‌ها جعبه را ترک می‌کند. مدتی برای خودش زندگی می‌کند، تجربه‌های لذت‌بخش و آرامش‌بخشی را از سر می‌گذراند تا اینکه متوجه می‌شود ترک‌هایش خوب شده‌اند. اما حوش‌بختی با تنهایی جور درنمی‌آید. پس تصمیم می‌گیرد به جمع دوستانش برگردد و این بار با کامل نبودن آنها و «خودش» کنار بیاید و در عین خوب بودن خودش از بودن با آنها هم لذت ببرد

[Yousra · Rating 5 out of 5]

يدخل بنا الكاتب عالم البيضة الجيدة والتي لم تكن بأفعالها جيدة فحسب بل هي مثالية منذ أولى لحظات حياتها ... للبيضة قرناء يعيشون معها داخل كرتونة بيض في متجر المزارع ولكنهم فوضويين ومزعجين أغلب الوقت ... تحاول البيضة الطيبة تقويمهم وتأخذ ذلك على عاتقها إلا أنها تكاد تطق كما نقول 😁😁 فتبتعد عنهم وفي بُعدها عنهم تكتشف ما يمكن أن تمارسه من أنشطة للاسترخاء وتكتشف أنها تفتقدهم وأنه لا بأس إن لم يكن الكل يتصرف مثلها بمثالية ... لا بأس إن كانت هي شخصيا تحيد أحيانا عن المثالية، ويجب عليها أن تجد الوقت لنفسها بين حين وآخر

لا أدري لماذا وجدت تلك القصة تخاطب الأمهات بشكل ما بخاصة هؤلاء الساعيات لكمال أبنائهن والمرهقات بشدة والمتوترات دائما

قصة جميلة وصلتني كهدية من صديقة جميلة ... أحبها أبنائي وأعتقد أن أحدهم قد تعلم منها درسا وهو قبول الآخر حتى لو لم يكن مثاليا بمقاييسه

[Sara Grochowski · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really identify with this little egg.

[melhara · Rating 2 out of 5]

While I thought the illustrations were cute, I wasn't completely sold on the story line (or the fact that the 'Good' Egg is any good at all).

The 'Good' Egg is surrounded by bad eggs and is essentially bullied into running away from home. But he finds living alone to be far too lonely so he goes back home to find that his family misses him and that it's OK for them to continue treating him like crap because you can't control everything around you.

[Prabhjot Kaur · Rating 2 out of 5]

I was cracking up ... literally!
Something had to change.
I'd had enough!

The good egg lives with other eleven eggs in a recycled carton. Whilst he always does the right thing, the other eleven eggs don't always do the right things. When his shell starts to crack, he decides to leave them and do his own thing. He does a bunch of different things and heals up and he returns to his carton as he's felt lonely whilst away. He's learnt not to stress as much as used to before.

I loved the art. It was also a nice concept and the message is pretty good in itself that sometimes you just have to let go but the text and the execution wasn't that great. I loved the first book in the series but this doesn't compare for me.

2 stars

[Deborah · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5. Cute. How a good egg rose above the carton of a dozen bad eggs. After cracking up, he leaves to find himself and to appreciate his fellow eggs.

[robyn · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book had the chance to really be something but instead it took the easy way out. Changing our behavior and taking care of ourselves is great, but continuing to be bullied and used by bad people for their own entertainment is not, especially if THAT is the reason you have to take extra care of yourself. The Good Egg doesn't do his fellow eggs any favors and neither does this book. It also implies that you to go away and be alone to take care of yourself. While a good option, it doesn't take into account the other "good" folks you may meet along the way. I wasn't crazy about the The Bad Seed either, so there could be some bias, but to me, this book totally misses the mark.

[Parker Moon · Rating 5 out of 5]

This piece of literature is much like the titular character itself, in that upon first inspection the egg is not much to look at on the outside, but the inside is filled with the nectar of life. I don’t want to get ahead of myself, but this may be the magnum opus of John and Oswald’s works.

It was Fred Rogers who once said “There is no normal life that is free of pain. Its the very wrestling with our problems that can be the impetus for our growth”

I would imagine this philosophical truth is what the writing was hoping to convey to its readers - and if so, it delivers in spades.

We are first introduced to the protagonist in the midst of a daring rescue - a heart pounding way to begin any adventure. However the audience is soon to understand The Good Egg is already a hero of the people at the end of his journey. The writers have cleverly flipped the traditional narrative structure on its head and provided us with the main character at the end of the heroes journey with their arc completed. Only then are we invited to learn of the tragic backstory that lead to this conclusion.

*keep in mind that the narrative is being told by the protagonist (think Kvothe, Name of the Wind) so we are challenged with the idea that they ~might~ not be a reliable narrator*

As our tale continues, we are challenged with themes of personal identity, familial sacrifice, toxic positivity, feeling burn out, loneliness, and self-actualization.

While most stories of a similar brand would have the main character suddenly shift their personality for cheap drama or suspense, our proteggonist stays true to their character throughout their development. I found this to be entirely refreshing.

Another sign of intellectual writing on behalf of the authors is seen by their ability to “show not tell.” The example that jumps to mind is when the young Ovum is reading books and is shown to read “The Wizard of Eggs” and “Yolklysses”. It is a minor detail that only eagle-eyed readers would pick up on. However minor, it is clear these references to their literary counterparts in our world could not be accidental, as they too tell tales of brave journeys and self actualization.

What I find most profound of all is the satisfying conclusion we are left with. The Good Egg is not good because they found peace for themselves, but rather that they took what they learned and applied it to their environment to with the hopes of bettering the world.

You could justifiably make the argument that Meg, Clegg, Shelly, Shelby and all of the eggs in the bad carton did not deserve a second chance. But that is not the moral debate this chronicle is trying to bring to the table. Rather, we are left in a place of imperfection. The Good Egg is STILL choosing to be good despite the challenges. And in doing so, learned the most valuable lesson of all - we must first learn to be good to ourselves before we can adequately be good to others.

So I’ll leave my review here. I feel like a changed man. It’s not often a work of fiction can effortlessly cut through the noise and leave the reader feeling so raw and seen.

Be like the Good Egg. Love others well. And when it gets to be too much, step away and love yourselves. Only then can you get back to making the world around a little more good.

[Krista · Rating 2 out of 5]

I thought the illustrations were amazing, but something about this book left a bad taste in my mouth. I think that while I appreciate the good egg leaving, taking time for himself, and healing, I didn't appreciate him returning to the bad eggs, where he's seemingly abused all over again. Maybe I'm taking it too seriously, but it felt as though the message was twisted from "perfectionism isn't always the way; self-care is important too" to "I've changed and taken better care of myself, but I'm lonely so I'll go back to those who abuse me."

[Matt Lillywhite · Rating 5 out of 5]

Best book ever.

I don't have anything else to say.

[Atefe Dtr · Rating 3 out of 5]

«حس می‌کردم مغزم املت شده»

[Abigail · Rating 3 out of 5]

Author Jory John and illustrator Pete Oswald, who previously collaborated on The Bad Seed , join forces again in this entertaining new picture-book. The eponymous Good Egg, having been virtuous and well-meaning from the first moment of his existence, finds life with the other eleven eggs in his carton rather rough. Eventually going off on his own, when his efforts to make the other eggs be good lead only to stress, and the development of cracks in his shell, he learns to decompress and take care of himself. Eventually he returns to his dozen, willing to relax and live and let live...

Like its predecessor, The Good Egg pairs a narrative that is both humorous and insightful with cute and appealing artwork. The central message here - that one should look to one's own personal welfare, and not take it upon oneself to police the behavior of one's peers - is a good one, and works quite well with the story structure of an individual leaving the group for a time, in order to clarify matters for himself. The idea that we have very little control over the actions of others, and should therefore not waste our time or efforts on attempting it, is an important one, and communicated here with humor. The artwork is expressive, accentuating that humor, and capturing the various emotional states through which the egg passes. Recommended to worry-wort good eggs who spend too much time thinking about what the other eggs are getting up to.

[itselv:#&309;]

أنا كذلك كنت كالبيضة الجيدة، أتحمل مسؤولية ليست مسؤوليتي وأحاول جعل الجميع يسير على طريقتي وأحاول إصلاحهم وتقليل مساوئهم، لذلك، أفهم ما تشعر به البيضة في هذه القصة، لكنني أرى أن القصة أخذت منعطفًا أخرًا، ليس بالضرورة سيئًا لكنه مُبهم ومن السهل فهمه بشكل خاطئ، بالأخص للأطفال، الفئة الموجه لها هذا الكتاب. ففي البداية، تتضايق البيضة من سوء تصرفات إخوتها، تحاول إصلاحهم، ومن ثم تغادرهم لكونها لم تعد تطيق العيش معهم، تبدأ بمحاولة الاسترخاء وتجربة كل جديد، لتفهم في النهاية أن لا أحد مثالي، وجميعنا نتركب الأخطاء، وليس من واجباتنا إصلاح الجميع. كل هذا جميل، لكن في النهاية تقرر البيضة العودة إلى أهلها لأنها تشعر بالوحدة والشوق، في الرسومات نجد بقية البيض يتصرفون بنفس السوء، وأحيانًا حتى تجاهها، وتقبل البيضة ذلك لأنهم ليسوا مثاليين(!)، وذلك بالنسبة لي ليس صحيحًا، ليس علينا أن نقبل التصرفات السيئة لأن العالم ليس مثالي، علينا أن نضع الحدود ولا نقبل بأن يتعداها أحدهم مهما كان قريبًا منّا. كان الأمر ليبدو أقل سوءًا لو رأينا تصرفات جيدة من قِبل بقية البيض، وليس فقط شقاوتهم وازعاجهم، هكذا نعرف أنهم ليسوا مثاليين، حيث يمتلكون الشقاوة والطيبة، وليس كما عُرض في الكتاب، مجرد الشقاوة. شعرت وكأن البيضة قبلت بالعودة للمكان الذي ازعجها لمجرد ابعاد شعور الوحدة، وهذه ليست رسالة أود لأي طفل أن يصدقها ويعمل بها.

[Farjaneh_ · Rating 3 out of 5]

《هو الحق》
تقریبا نظرم مثل جلد قبلیه با یکم تفاوت
هر دو جلد تصاویر زیبایی دارن ، خوب ترجمه شدن و حرف‌های خوبی میخوانن بزنن ، این جلد درباره‌ی اینه که لازم نیست همه رو تغییر بدیم تا مثل ما خوب باشن ، این کار به ما آسیب میزنه ، اون‌ها رو هم عوض نمیکنه، به جاش روی خودمون و آرامشمون تمرکز کنیم ،این جلد یک طنز ریزی هم داشت مثلا سِرُمی که به تخم‌مرغه زده بودن توش زرده بود ، یا وقتی عصبانی میشد میگفت مغزم املت شده اینا رو دوست داشتم🧡
راستش من با این تفکیک خوب و بد موافق نیستم ،هیچکس کاملا خوب یا بد نیست ، مواردی هم توی کتاب هست که ممکنه برای کودک باعث سوء برداشت بشه ، مثل مواردی که ما رو خوب یا بد میکنند ، و درباره‌ی این جلد تخم مرغ بعد از سفر و تغییرش خیلی بیخیال میشه ،به نظرم کودک ما باید بدونه اگر کمکی ازش بر میاد یا خطایی دید راهنمایی کنه ، اما اگر توجهی نشد خودش رو به در و دیوار نزنه ، نه که کلا نسبت به جهان بی تفاوت بشه ، میخوام بگم نه به اون شوری شور نه به این بی نمکی ، این رو نپسندیدم🌱
پ.ن: من کارشناس کتاب کودک نیستم و نظر خودم رو گفتم هرچند خیلی دوست دارم نظر یک کارشناس رو هم درباره‌ی این مجموعه بدونم
۲۶آذر ۱۴۰۰🍂🍁

[Cassie · Rating 3 out of 5]

I remember a few years ago a parent asked me for books for a 7 year old about being a perfectionist and anxiety about others being less than perfect. This would have been a great story for that kid! Egg is so sweet and well-meaning and drawn so adorably.

The only thing that bothered me is that it appears that he becomes ok with being treated badly by the other eggs. They look like such jerks and I just wanted him to ditch them and find a better group of friends! Otherwise I think it's a great story and one that many adults would appreciate (and need!).

[Michelle · Rating 5 out of 5]

Made me smile and laugh at myself. Great lessons, without being preachy, in these books.

[Victoria Schmidt · Rating 1 out of 5]

I don't understand how this is nominated for a Goodreads award. I guess my take on it is a lot different from a lot of the other readers who feel the message is about not worrying about others' bad behaviors and not trying to "fix" everyone around you. I might agree with that if the other eggs weren't literally attacking him. So finally the Good Egg decides to leave this abusive environment that's literally damaging him emotionally, mentally, and physically and take some time to himself and heal. Then after he recovers from the trauma they inflicted on him he decides to go back because he's lonely. But this time he's just going to sit there and take their shit with a smile on his face and not worry so much about it because it's better than living alone. And besides now they're acting a little bit better and only abusing him sometimes so it's an improvement and he should be happy about that. I literally finished this book and said "what the hell."

[Amy · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is one of those titles that makes me so happy to be a children's librarian. That there are such talented authors and illustrators in the world who dedicate their time to bringing joy to children and adults through such charming works is a blessing.
Once again, I realize I am a sucker for any title with naughty characters (I love all the bad eggs in the dozen) and I adore this book. Can't wait to read it for storytime!

[Sara · Rating 4 out of 5]

Bad Seed was pretty good but The Good Egg was absolutely amazing!! I wish I had read this when I was a kid because I was high strung as heck and could have used the message that it's okay not to be perfect all the time.

ps. The views expressed in this review are my own and do not reflect the views of Indigo Books & Music Inc. or any of its subsidiaries.

[Deb (Readerbuzz) Nance · Rating 4 out of 5]

An egg is always good, always helping others, always doing the right thing. After a while, he begins to notice that he is starting...to...crack...up. He takes a break and feels calm and peaceful again, and he finds he can return to his life with his other egg friends.

It's a perfect story for today's overworked, always-on-alert parents and kids, complete with tips for de-stressing.