'The best books, reviewed with insight and charm, but without compromise.'
- author Jackie French

Thursday 13 December 2012

Review: An Egg is Quiet

This is a truly beautiful book. In fact, I would go so far as to say it's one of the most visually beautifully books I've ever seen. Not just because award-winning artist Sylvia Long is so darn talented, but because the subject matter is just so darn beautiful.

Yes - eggs. Eggs are beautiful. Have you ever realised how utterly beautiful they can be? From duck's eggs to the roe of Atlantic salmon, Long has captured the texture and exquisite colour of a myriad egg forms that are a joy to feast the eyes on.


But An Egg is Quiet goes beyond imagery alone. It features a softly meandering narrative that takes the reader on a journey - where can eggs be found? From which creatures do they come? Where do they nestle and what do they hatch? What size are they and are they textured or smooth?
What's inside an egg? And how do the innards change over time?

Part information book, part story, part art exhibition, this is a wonderful collaboration on the life giving nature of the humble egg, that is as visually rewarding as it is smile-inducing.

Gorgeous.

Title: An Egg is Quiet
Author: Dianna Aston
Illustrator: Sylvia Long
Publisher: Chronicle Books, $23.95 RRP
Publication Date: 30 April 2006
Format: Hard cover with dust jacket
ISBN: 9780811844284
For ages: 5+
Type: Picture Book, Information Book