First the Egg

How do you introduce the concept of growth and metamorphosis to very young children? This book succeeds magnificently through imaginative design, a vibrant palette and boldly executed illustrations. But what makes it exceptional is that it takes children from the notion of change in nature to their own capacity to create, whether in words or with paint. So the brief written text begins with a few words for each idea: ‘First the egg, then the chicken; First the tadpole, then the frog.’ Then it changes key: ‘First the word, then the story’ and ‘First the paint, then the picture.’ Finally, a painting (which like the other illustrations uses acrylic paint on canvas) brings together all the living things whose growth and change have been shown.

The pattern of imaginatively placed die-cuts is set in the first illustration. A snowy white egg against a burnt orange background is formed using the whiteness of the chicken we discover on the next page. When the page is flipped over, the body of the newly hatched chick gets its colour from the yellow background to the egg. There is so much to talk about here and the book would be a splendid starting point for children’s own creations. In short, here we have an information book which is also a work of art.