“Butterflies,

frogs, sharks, and

humans all begin life as

an egg. So does almost every

other animal. The eggs of some

creatures–including most mammals

–are nurtured inside their mother’s

body, where they develop into babies

that are born alive. But many more animals

lay their eggs — either one at a time, by

the dozens, or by the millions. Eggs come

in  a  fantastic  range of  sizes,  shapes,

and colors. Animals that lay eggs bury

them, carry them, guard them, or

simply leave them alone. And

each egg contains everything

needed to create a new

living creature.”

So begins Steve Jenkins & Robin Page’s latest book – EGG. This book might just be what every young reader wants to know about eggs, but was not sure to ask. Jenkins and Page share 54 different creatures which emerge from eggs from the millions of possibilities: fish, birds, reptiles, amphibians, insects, and mammals. Too bad an index was not included or this would be an even better reference book for young readers.

Some of the eggs are shown life size(with magnification to show detail), while others are not. The egg is shown with an adult creature, too.  The size of an egg does not determine the size of the adult creature. Unusual locations for where eggs are laid are shared, as well as, how many eggs , who eats eggs, egg protection, egg packaging, carrying eggs, incubation, getting out of an egg, and inside an egg.

After the usual Jenkins’ picture/text format, at the back of the book are 54 thumbnail size pictures of the adult animal with its length, habitat, and diet. These are in alphabetical order.