Guess What Is Growing Inside This Egg by Mia Posada
Reading level: Ages 4-8
Library Binding: 32 pages
Publisher: Millbrook Press (December 22, 2006)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0822561921
ISBN-13: 978-0822561927
Source of book: Copy from publisher
This beautiful nonfiction book for younger children begins with an interior spread of the bottom of a white feathery animal with black talons sitting on a big egg along with this text:
This egg sits snuggly on its father's feet.
He warms it with his body's heat.
Under his feathered belly, it's cozy and warm,
Safe from the icy Antartic storm.
Can you guess what is growing inside this egg?
When you flip the page, you get the answer: an adorable baby penguin covered in gray down is sitting between its father's feet, the father proudly looking down at it. Readers then learn more factual information about the baby penguin and its parents.
The book continues in the same pattern, revealing baby alligators, ducklings, spiders, and more. At the end of the book are white life-sized shapes representing the actual size and shape of the different eggs featured in the book. In addition, a two-page spread details the 28-day incubation of a duck, with simple descriptions and diagrams that are easy for children to understand. We also learn the incubation period for the other animals in the book.
Mia Posada's detailed and expressive water color collages are enchanting and provide visual clues to help children guess the animals that are growing inside the eggs.
The rhyming verse and guessing game will keep kids entertained, and even younger children who can't quite grasp the content will love the illustrations. My little girl just pets and pets the baby sea turtles and the big, fuzzy spider egg sac. For all you teachers out there, this would be a fun choice for a science unit, and it's interactivity makes it a great book for story time.
What Other Bloggers Are Saying:
Books Together: "It's an especially good choice for reading aloud to kids of different ages!" Read more...
The Miss Rumphius Effect: "This is another great book for looking different animals that lay eggs." Read more...
If you have a review of Guess What Is Growing Inside This Egg, leave a comment with your link, and I'll post it here!
4 Comments on Guess What Is Growing Inside This Egg written and illustrated by Mia Posada, last added: 5/8/2008
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I've used this title in several preschool storytimes and it's always a hit!
Abby,
It's so great to hear about people's actual experiences with the books I review, and I'm glad the preschoolers like it!
I've read this one many times to my own preschooler, and I agree that it's a good one!
Hi Charlotte,
Thanks for commenting. I'm glad you're enjoying this book with your preschooler! I definitely think it will be a huge hit in our home when my daughter gets a little older.