The Egg

By Britta Teckentrup

  • is a German artist.

  • in 2017.

  • 5+

Every year dozens of publishers release hundreds, if not thousands, of encyclopaedias for children. The Egg is like a bridge between fiction and non-fiction. It proves that science and art can collaborate effectively.

In her book Britta celebrates an egg, its beauty, sensual feel, perfection and structure. She provides a lot of scientific facts about eggs, birds and those who work with them.

I took this book with my students a month before Easter and it was such a joy to read it with my Science classes, Literature, History and Art. The Egg gives you a lot of ideas and you just run with them, add more information if needed.

The Egg is quite informative. We learn about different types, shapes and sizes; nests and chick development; professional collectors, pouching and Oology. And while exploring facts about eggs and birds, we can enjoy the beautiful design of the book. Britta Teckentrup’s work is like poetry. The way the book is organised reminds me of The Lost Spells by Robert Macfarlane and Jackie Morris. Each paragraph in the book is like a poem devoted to a cirtain bird or animal. She doesn’t forget to mention amphibians, reptiles, mammals and fish that lay eggs.

Life wouldn’t exist without the egg. It has always played a huge role in life. Hence its presence in art, mythology, religion, traditions and even architecture.

I linked this book to stories from different cultures. For example, the fable The Goose That Laid the Golden Egg and the fairy tale The Golden Egg.

If I were to rate this non-fiction book, I would give it 10 out of 10 as the information in it is just right for multiple uses in the classroom.

Here there’s an interview with Britta Teckentrup.