Available:*
Library | Call Number | Status |
---|---|---|
Searching... Silver Falls Library | JNF 591.4 SINGER | Searching... Unknown |
Searching... Monmouth Public Library | J 591.4 SINGER 2008 | Searching... Unknown |
Searching... Newberg Public Library | 591.468 SINGER | Searching... Unknown |
Searching... Salem Main Library | J 591.468 Singer 2008 | Searching... Unknown |
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Summary
Summary
Just in time for Easter and springtime, here is a gorgeously illustrated picture book filled with fascinating facts about eggs.Many creatures, including amphibians, reptiles, insects, birds, and even some mammals, lay eggs. Eggs come in all shapes, sizes, colors, and textures, from jelly-covered bullfrog eggs that float to stringy octopus eggs that hang beneath sea ledges. Animals protect their eggs in special ways too. Seahorse eggs are carried in the father's pouch, while Asian cave swiftlet eggs stay safe in a nest made of spit. As different as they are from one another, all eggs contain a special world, a place where a developing embryo can breathe, grow, and be nourished. Extraordinary facts abound in this intriguingly written and intricately illustrated picture book about the varied appearances, development processes, environments, and survival challenges of eggs.
Author Notes
Marilyn Singer was born in the Bronx, New York, on October 3, 1948, and lived most of her early life in North Massapequa on Long Island. She attended Queens College, City University of New York as an English major and education student, and for her junior year, attended Reading University, in England. She holds a bachelor's degree in English from Queens and a MA in Communications from New York University. Marilyn Singer had been teaching English in New York City high schools for several years when she began writing in 1974. Initially, she wrote film notes, catalogues, teacher's guides and filmstrips. She also began looking into magazine writing. Her article proposals were not very successful, but she did manage to have some of her poetry published. Then one day she penned a story featuring talking insects she'd made up when she was eight. Encouraged by the responses she got, she wrote more stories and in 1976 her first book, The Dog Who Insisted He Wasn't, was published.
Since then, Marilyn has published more than 50 books for children and young adults. In addition to a rich collection of fiction picture books, Singer has also produced a wide variety of nonfiction works for young readers as well as several poetry volumes in picture book format. Additionally, Singer has edited volumes of short stories for young adult readers, including Stay True: Short Stories for Strong Girls and I Believe in Water: Twelve Brushes with Religion.
(Bowker Author Biography)
Reviews (3)
School Library Journal Review
Gr 2-5-Eggs of many shapes, sizes, colors, and textures and produced by a variety of animals are introduced in short blocks of text and realistic paintings. Singer opens the discussion with a small poem and then explains how eggs serve as the means of reproduction for those creatures that don't "give birth to live babies." A few pages feature larger pictures of an animal with its eggs or nest, while most include smaller examples in varied arrangements across the page. The book is visually attractive, with full-color gouache paintings on every page, offering a bit more explanation of the same topics that were beautifully presented in Diana Aston's An Egg Is Quiet (Chronicle, 2006). Nests are mentioned, though the inclusion of a page on the hives and nests of wasps and bees is a bit confusing. The topic and presentation are appealing for general readers and the information is useful for life-science units.-Margaret Bush, Simmons College, Boston (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Horn Book Review
(Primary, Intermediate) Singer's words and Stevenson's art bring a naturalist's perspective to the topic of eggs and their role in animal reproduction. Focusing on the animals in nature whose reproductive cycles include eggs that are external to their bodies, Singer provides a comprehensive account of egg structures; the ways in which animals lay eggs; if and how they care for those eggs once they are laid; nests as protection for eggs; and egg hatching. For each topic, her in-depth explanations clearly lay out both general patterns and unique varieties in nature, taking the time to explain how the variations represent the adaptations of species to ensure survival. Stevenson's beautiful field guide-like illustrations capture every nuance and detail described in the text. Hand-drawn headings and italicized captions add delicacy as well as order to the layouts. A glossary, note on sources, directory of wildlife organizations, and an index are appended in very small print. From HORN BOOK, (c) Copyright 2010. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Booklist Review
This handsome book introduces eggs: their functions; their wide variety of sizes, shapes, textures, and colors; and how they protect young animals growing inside them. Smoothly written, the text creates an even, almost conversational flow from page to page, leading seamlessly from one topic to the next. British illustrator Stevenson contributes large and small gouache paintings in a precise yet fluid style that suits the subject well. Though it's difficult to get a good idea of size in pictures of animals and eggs isolated against white backgrounds, the illustrations are often striking and nicely detailed. Appended pages carry a note on environmental concerns, a glossary, a brief note on sources, a bibliography, and a list of organizations working to protect wildlife. Slightly older children seeking more information than can be found in the equally lovely picture book An Egg Is Quiet (2006) will find this a logical next step.--Phelan, Carolyn Copyright 2008 Booklist