First the Egg

Seeger, Laura Vaccaro. 2007. FIRST THE EGG. New Milford, CT: Roaring Brook. ISBN 9781596432727 [Suggested Grade Levels P-K]

REVIEW
This deceptively simple book is about transformations of all types. From the cover art, where repeated opening, “First the,” children will revel in being able to predict the next step in each process. The words appear along with an egg in a nest created by cutting out an egg-shaped piece from the cover, revealing the white color from a chicken under the book jacket. The story comes full circle when the egg/chicken in the first pairing leads to a chicken/egg in the last pairing.

Seeger’s illustrations are richly colored yet simply shaped, with strong contrasts in color. The shape of each “first” item is determined by a cutout in the page; on the overleaf, the cutout becomes a part of an illustrated median period; the final transformation on the facing page allows the reader to flip back to the “first” illustration to discover how the final transformation was designed to show the primary color which filled in the earlier cutout. This is spectacularly shown in the middle of the book, where the green color of the caterpillar cutout transforms into a drab chrysalis, and then the brilliance of a butterfly with just a hint of green in its wings.

CONNECTIONS
Illustrate your own pairs of “First/Then.” Create a display.

Gather other books by Laura Vaccaro Seeger to share. Discuss which are favorites, and why.

RELATED BOOKS
Other books by Laura Vaccaro Seeger:
BLACK? WHITE! DAY? NIGHT! A BOOK OF OPPOSITES. ISBN 9781596431850
THE HIDDEN ALPHABET. ISBN 0761319417
LEMONS ARE NOT RED. ISBN 1596430087


By Julie Brinker