Summary: A large speckled egg from a Black-necked Stilt sits quietly nestled in its home. As the story progresses many other eggs from over 60 other species are shown to compare to the Black-necked Stilt. Tiny eggs, medium-sized eggs and huge eggs are all depicted with beautiful artwork and labels for readers to view. The life-cycle of the eggs of several animals are shown to differentiate the wide variety of incubation times for animals. This quiet Black-necked Stilt egg is shown again with several others of the same variety. The author shows what happens when an egg is no longer quiet!
Citation:
Aston, D. (2006). An egg is quiet. San Francisco, CA: Chronicle.
My Impression: This book is an amazing journey into the life-cycle of the egg. Sylvia Long provides the most amazing illustrations with ink and watercolor. Her eggs are so life-like it is as if you are looking at them in nature. Over 60 eggs are pictured to the correct life-size scale. Only a few that are either too small or too large in real life are not pictured to scale. If this is the case, they are labeled as such. Readers can enjoy the progression from a quiet egg to a fully developed "noisy" egg at the end. Aston consulted a multitude of experts to create this informational book which provides the credibility necessary with a book of its type. Venture into the world of animal eggs with An Egg is Quiet, you will be glad you came.
Professional Reviews:
Publishers Weekly
"Like the subject matter it describes, this book packages with understated elegance the substantive matter found within it. "An egg is quiet. It sits there, under its mother's feathers... on top of its father's feet... buried beneath the sand," Aston (When You Were Born) begins, as spot illustrations zero in on a hummingbird, emperor penguin and sea turtle, respectively. The narrative then launches into a kind of survey about the characteristics of eggs, which follows a simple format. In most spreads, different adjectives (colorful, shapely, textured, etc.) complete the sentence, "An egg is...." This repetitive rhythm contrasts with the visual variety of the illustrations. Long's (Sylvia Long's Mother Goose) skilled use of contrast and compositional balance prevent monotony. For example, a border that resembles a color test pattern runs down the outer edges of a spread of nearly 40 carefully placed "colorful" examples, set against a white background, which dazzle the eye. The main text appears in large, flowery cursive, while a smaller printed typeface serves as labels and brief factual captions. "An egg is clever," in fancy script, for instance, sits alongside examples of camouflage: "An egg might be speckled to resemble the rocks around it." The letters' dramatic curlicues mimic curvy grasses and vines dappled with tiny insect eggs. Long introduces breathtaking color into the final spreads, as a concluding scene "hatches from" this peacefulness, reminding readers of an egg's purpose. This attractive volume pleases on both an aesthetic and intellectual level. Ages 5-10."
Publishers Weekly. (2006, March 6). [Review of the book An egg is quiet,
by D.Aston]. Retrieved from http://www.publishersweekly.com
School Library Journal
"K-Gr 2-An exceptionally handsome book on eggs, from the delicate ova of the green lacewing to the rosy roe of the Atlantic salmon to the mammoth bulk of an ostrich egg. Aston's simple, readable text celebrates their marvelous diversity, commenting on size, shape, coloration, and where they might be found. The author occasionally attributes sensibilities to eggs ("An egg is clever," for example). Still, her quiet descriptions of egg engineering and embryo development (no mention of mating) are on the mark, and are beautifully supported by Long's splendid watercolor depictions of a wide variety of eggs. (One teeny carp-Steller's jays are not spelled with an "ar," though they are stellar performers when wheedling for your lunch at a campsite!) A beautiful guide to the unexpected panoply of "the egg.""Patricia Manning, formerly at Eastchester Public Library, NY Copyright 2006 Reed Business Information.
Manning, P. (2006, June 1). [Review of the book An egg is quiet, by D.
Aston]. Retrieved from http://www.schoollibraryjournal.com
Uses within the Library:
1. "Egg-citing" Information: Provide students with colorful plastic eggs for them to decorate like eggs in the book. Have them research the type of egg they chose and write informational facts on strips of paper to stuff inside each of their plastic eggs. Allow those students who want to read their facts out loud to do so.
2. Kuddos by Kiddos: Have students brainstorm ideas for types of medals that could be awarded to this book. Then allow students to create actual medals of honor for both Aston and Long. Display the book in a special location with the medals it received.
Book Cover: Book cover courtesy of the Mansfield Public Library.
Retrieved from http://www.mansfield-tx.gov/departments/library/
1. "Egg-citing" Information: Provide students with colorful plastic eggs for them to decorate like eggs in the book. Have them research the type of egg they chose and write informational facts on strips of paper to stuff inside each of their plastic eggs. Allow those students who want to read their facts out loud to do so.
2. Kuddos by Kiddos: Have students brainstorm ideas for types of medals that could be awarded to this book. Then allow students to create actual medals of honor for both Aston and Long. Display the book in a special location with the medals it received.
Book Cover: Book cover courtesy of the Mansfield Public Library.
Retrieved from http://www.mansfield-tx.gov/departments/library/
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