World Famous Comics: First the Egg (Caldecott Honor Book and Theodor Seuss Geisel Honor Book (Awards))
First the Egg (Caldecott Honor Book and Theodor Seuss Geisel Honor Book (Awards))
By: Laura Vaccaro Seeger Publisher: Roaring Brook Press Average Rating: Binding: Hardcover Label: Roaring Brook Press Number of Items: 1 Number of Pages: 32 Publication Date: September 04, 2007 Reading Level: Ages 4-8 Release Date: September 04, 2007
WHICH CAME FIRST? The chicken or the egg? Simple die-cuts magically present transformation-- from seed to flower, tadpole to frog, caterpillar to butterfly.
The acclaimed author of Black? White! Day? Night! and Lemons Are Not Red gives an entirely fresh and memorable presentation to the concepts of transformation and creatiity. Seed becomes flower, paint becomes picture, word becomes story--and the commonplace becomes extraordinary as children look through and turn the pages of this novel and winning book.
Fun, Fun, Fun This is a great book...fun for both kids and adults. I love how the pages have cut outs that clue you in to the next page. Fun!
great book Great simple illustrations with bold colors - neat thinking - leaves age-old question unanswered, which does come first - chicken or the egg?
Really, 5 Stars? I love the book. I bought it for my son last Christmas, but it's a little too conceptual for a three year old. Still, it's beautiful. I'll try this out with him in a year.
A concept journey: egg or chicken? chicken or egg? Which came first--the chicken or the egg? Finally, someone is here to tell us. But the answer later.
"First the egg," written and illustrated by Laura Vaccaro Seeger, is a Caldecott honor winner for 2008 and an honor book for the Theodor Seuss Geisel (Dr. Seuss) Award. What makes it special? Both the artwork and the story, or actually, in this case, concepts that lead from one transformation to the next. Two previous clever winners are Flotsam (Caldecott Medal Book) by David Wiesner and Black and White, an earlier Caldecott by David Macauley.
I took this book from a display in our bi-annual Book Fair. I read it in just one minute. Then reread it. And reread it. Every time I pick up this seemingly simple book, I see something else I missed. Even the covers are part of the story. This book is more than clever--it is brilliant, as in illuminating.
Listen, here is the story. Get comfortable and let me read it to you:
First the EGG then the CHICKEN First the TADPOLE then the FROG First the SEED then the FLOWER First the CATERPILLAR then the BUTTERFLY First the WORD then the STORY First the PAINT then the PICTURE, First the CHICKEN then the EGG!
Well? Exactly! Without the bold colors and almost in-your-face images in the background, the words are fine, but...? A Caldecott Award is given to the most distinguished picture book of the year. Please look at the cover image with this review. That gives an idea of the power of the colors and paint technique, which is impasto on canvas, providing two layers of texture. That is what this book has--texture: layers of texture in the art and the concepts.
Art? A creative, bold enterprise that can make the chicken or the egg first. Think it, do it. Create. That is exactly what Ms Seeger did. She created a bold, creative way to examine this age-old riddle.
"First the egg" is highly recommended, not only for children, who will adore it, but also for adults, who will be reminded of the grandeur of creation in all its many forms. Great children's books belong in the collection of adults as well as in children's.
Which comes first? A lovely book for young people, with die cut pages that explain some of life's mysteries in an age appropriate way.
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