First The Egg

First The Egg by Laura Vaccaro Seeger
2008 Caldecott Honor Book

This book will appeal to the very youngest reader, but is definitely not lost on me! The very simple text and pictures are elegant, as well as simple. And although it has that little kid appeal, there is no "talking down" which I appreciate. It also has a playful "a book can be a toy" aspect. . . each page has a cut out and the pages lead to one another in a way that invites participation and predicting what comes next.

For example,  the first pages read "First the EGG" and there is a cut out shape of a white egg. You turn the page and read "then the CHICKEN". The cut out egg shape now flips over and becomes the yellow body of the chick that just hatched out of the egg. The white of the egg on the previous page was the white mama chicken you see on this page.

So, when you get to the next page and it says "First the tadpole" small children want to guess "then the FROG!" Plus it's fun and intriguing to see how the same cut out shape becomes different things as the page turns. And the last line. . . "First the CHICKEN" (turn the page) "then the EGG!"