About the Holiday
This month we celebrate the amazing egg! Since ancient days people have relied on eggs for protein and other nutrients as part of a healthy diet. Eggs also provide delicate canvases for incredible works of art. If you’re fond of eggs—on their own or whipped up into a quiche, frittata, or other delicacy—crack a few open and enjoy your favorite recipe!
The Good Egg
Written by Jory John | Illustrated by Pete Oswald
Have you ever met an egg that was so good he would rescue a cat from a tree, “…carry your groceries, …water your plants,” or “paint your house?” Well, you have now! And this isn’t some fly-by-night goodness, this little egg has always been this way even though all the other eggs in the carton exhibited less-than-stellar behavior.
Image copyright Pete Oswald, 2019, text copyright Jory John, 2019. Courtesy of HarperCollins.
What did they do? Are you ready for this? “They ignored their bedtime. They only ate sugary cereal.” There were tantrums…and it only got worse. The good egg tried to help—after all, he was “a verrrrrry good egg,” but no one paid any attention. Eventually, the good egg cracked under the pressure of trying to make his carton buddies as good as he was.
The good egg decided to leave the market and the other eggs behind. Did they care? It didn’t seem like it. The egg traveled far and wide and into his very own heart. The egg “took walks” and “read books.” He took up writing, painting, and meditation. Slowly, the cracks began to heal. Feeling better, the egg made a big decision. He decided to go back to the market and his friends. But this time, he would “try not to worry so much” and he’d be good to the other eggs and himself.
Image copyright Pete Oswald, 2019, text copyright Jory John, 2019. Courtesy of HarperCollins.
The good egg had discovered that he missed the other eggs, but how would they feel about his come back? He needn’t have worried. They welcomed him home with egg-citement. It seems that while the good egg was gone, the other eggs became a little better behaved. And now? Here’s what the good egg “realized: The other eggs aren’t perfect, and I don’t have to be, either.” The whole experience gave the good egg a whole new perspective, and he’s glad to be home.
Image copyright Pete Oswald, 2019, text copyright Jory John, 2019. Courtesy of HarperCollins.
Behavior studies have never been as bewitching as in Jory John and Pete Oswald’s The Good Egg, a sequel of sorts to The Bad Seed. Everywhere he looks, the good egg finds ways to be helpful, peaceful, and…well…good. But his friends are a rowdy bunch, given to messes, tears, destruction—badness. When the good egg’s perfectionism meets this unruliness, he cracks. When the good egg leaves the carton in search of healing, John invites readers to consider the line between fun and rotten behavior from both sides.
Children prone to perfectionism see that it’s okay to give themselves a break and let go at times, while those who tend to be wild learn that reigning in some impulses can lead to more enjoyment. John’s clever egg names, funny examples of good and rotten behavior, and pun-filled wordplay will have kids giggling from the first page while his nod to self-care practices and the empowering ending give them moments for thoughtful contemplation.
Image copyright Pete Oswald, 2019, text copyright Jory John, 2019. Courtesy of HarperCollins.
Pete Oswald dishes up a full menu of visual jokes from the wrinkled bacon slice getting help with her groceries to the intravenous yolk drip the good egg gets on his trip to the doctor to the stack of books with eggs-centric titles that are part of the good egg’s recovery. The dozen eggs—all with distinct personalities—may be “fresh” as the carton proclaims, but they make for eggsellent companions on this journey of self-discovery.
Witty and ingenious, The Good Egg will be an often-asked for addition to home, school, and public libraries for perfectly fun-filled story times.
Ages 4 – 8
Harper Collins, 2019 | ISBN 978-0062866004
Discover more about Jory John and his books on his website.
To learn more about Pete Oswald, his books, and his art, visit his website.
Take a crack at The Good Egg book trailer!
National Egg Month Activity
Egg Carton Chickens and a Basket Full of Games
With these cute egg-carton chickens you can come up with lots of games to play! This fun craft and game activity is eggs-actly what you need to start hatching some real fun!
Supplies
- Cardboard egg carton
- White craft paint
- Markers: red, yellow, black for the face; any colors you’d like for wings and eggs
- Paint brush
- Scissors
- Glue
- Construction or craft paper in white and a color of your choice
Directions
- Cut the notched flap off the egg carton and set aside
- Cut the top off the egg carton
- Cut apart all the egg cups and trim slightly so they sit flat
- Paint the egg cups with the white paint, let dry
- Add the face, comb and wings to the chicken with the markers. Make six chickens with one color wings and six chickens with another color wings.
- From the egg carton flap cut thirteen small egg-shaped playing pieces
- With the markers, decorate twelve of the eggs in pairs—each egg in the pair with the same design
- Color one egg yellow and add a beak, eyes, and wings to make it a chick
Games to Play
Tic-Tac-Toe (2 players)
- On a 8 ½” x 11” piece of paper draw a regular tic-tac-toe board or make it fancy – like the picket fence-inspired board in the picture
- To make the fence-inspired board on a colored background, cut 2 9-inch-long x 3/4-inch wide strips of white paper, cutting a pointed tip at one or both ends. Cut 2 white 8-inch x 3/4-inch strips of paper with a pointed tip at one or both ends. Glue the strips to the background.
- Each player chooses a set of chickens with the same colored wings
- Play the game as you usually do
Find the Matching Eggs (2 or more players)
- Have one player hide one egg under each chicken
- Shuffle the eggs around and form them into three lines of 4 chickens each
- Another player lifts one chicken at a time to find matching eggs. If the eggs don’t match, put both chickens back and start again
Where’s the Chick?
- Use as many chickens and eggs as you want (fewer for younger children, more for older)
- One player hides the chick under one of the chickens and eggs under the others.
- Another player has three chances to find the chick
I’m sure you can also design your own games for your adorable chickens to play! With more chickens you can even make a checkers set or replicate another of your favorite board games!
You can find The Good Egg at these booksellers
Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Books-a-Million | IndieBound
Picture Book Review
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