The Egg

Is there anything as simple as an egg? Is there anything as complex? In this gorgeous picture book, Britta Teckentrup portrays eggs through the eyes of an artist. From hummingbirds to the extinct elephant bird, illustrations of the avian world's smallest and largest eggs demonstrate the variety present in nature. Pastel studies explore the rainbow of soft colors and intricate patterns that make eggs of common birds seem incredibly striking. In Teckentrup's hands, a scattering of broken egg shells become abstract art; a nest of unhatched eggs suggest the possibility and promise of life. Her studies of songbirds and nests are themselves beautifully composed works of color and line. A lovely meditation on the diversity of eggs, this magnificent book offers hours of lingering pleasure, and becomes fertile ground for conversation and imagination.

BRITTA TECKENTRUP is the author and illustrator of many adored children's books, including the bestselling The Memory Tree, The Odd One Out, and Grumpy Cat, along with Before I Wake Up... and Oskar Loves... (both by Prestel). Her most recent book on weather phenomena was nominated for Germany's most prestigious children's book award. She lives and works in Berlin.