"Step Two: PIP!
You're going to bust right through the shell.
But lets's get a few things straight.
You can't shatter a shell with
webbed feet. And your knobby knees
are not nearly sharp enough.
Your rump? Ridiculous!
That won't get you anywhere.
Your mighty pipping muscle and your
trusty egg tooth will get you out."
The text box that holds space on the recto side of this spread provides the following factual information for readers:
Inside the Shell
The air in the air cell won't last forever.
The gosling embryo needs air from
outside the shell to live. The pipping
muscle and the egg tooth go back to work.
The beak strikes the shell until it makes a
light crack or a small hole.
Using a second-person voice to encourage the embryo of a brand-new gosling to make its way into the world is a brilliant choice for helping young readers understand just exactly how this incredible process works. Then, choosing to include sidebars on every spread as explanation for what is clearly happening at each stage makes it even more brilliant ... and compelling, accessible, and highly entertaining, while also very informative.
Younger readers will appreciate the language that includes well-chosen descriptive words and verbs to encourage the gosling to do its hard work. The informative explanations for the true science of this life cycle will be appreciated by older listeners who want the facts. Both are sure to be satisfied with the direction the narrative takes from Step One (BREATHE!) through to Step Six (FLOP!).
"Don't fret about the soggy down, but beware
of chills. Find a toasty spot, and before you
know it, you'll be as dry as a dandelion puff."
Kids will be captivated from the front endpapers to the back ones. Galia Bernstein's digital images put the geese at the center of attention throughout the telling, offering plenty of white space on every page. If you are at all claustrophobic, you will be cheering from the initial sight of the gosling as it is all tucked up inside its shell. Watching it move, grow, and instinctively know exactly what it needs to do to exit its shell is fascinating. Watching it 'healthy, happy, hatched' offers real satisfaction. Now part of the gaggle, it closely follows its mother and siblings to the lake for a first swim.
A glossary of words for birds follows, as does an author's note for the grown-ups who will share this book, and a list of selected resources. Beautiful! It's sure to be a favorite.
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