The Good Egg

February 1, 2019

K-Gr 2-From the creators of The Bad Seed comes an organic and locally sourced tale of the importance of self-care. A self-identified "good egg" lives in a carton at the farmer's market with 11 other eggs who all have a tendency to misbehave. The good egg tries to be perfect and take charge but eventually, the stress of it all starts to show and it becomes clear that a big change is needed. So the good egg sets off on a journey of self-discovery and self-care that involves relaxation, meditation, and even painting. Finally, the good egg returns home having learned that nobody is perfect and it's important to take time to be good to yourself and your fellow eggs. The illustrations are an egg-cellent source of amusement with the 11 "bad eggs" practicing feats of naughtiness and rude behavior at every opportunity. Images veer from melodramatic to preposterous and some of the jokes may fly over the heads of children, but will get adults laughing. The simple text provides an important counterbalance to the absurdity of the illustrations and the focus on self-care provides a helpful starting point for conversations about being true to yourself and how to take time for self-reflection. VERDICT Perfect for storytime and one-on-one sharing, hand this to readers seeking comic silliness with a deeper message of self-reflection and kindness.-Laken Hottle, Providence Community Library

Copyright 2019 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

Starred review from October 15, 2018
Being a good egg can be eggs-cruciatingly stressful. This earnest counterpart to John and Oswald's hilarious The Bad Seed (2017) opens with a direct address from an oval-shaped saint to readers: "Oh, hello! I was just rescuing this cat. Know why? Because I'm a good egg." Just how good is this egg? "Verrrrrry good." Without hesitation, the bespectacled egg offers to help others with carrying groceries, painting houses, and changing tires. The good egg even tries to "keep the peace" among the other 11 eggs in its dozen, who forgo their bedtime, eat sugary cereal, and break stuff. Rotten eggs indeed! When the pressure of being good proves too much, the beleaguered egg embarks on a journey of self-care. John embeds a seed of a great idea--finding a balance between personal and social responsibility--within a rip-roaring, touching narrative. Despite his sober narrator, the author's sense of humor remains intact thanks to some clever (and punny) wordplay. Likewise, Oswald's digitally composed, bright artwork pops with rib-tickling close-ups and character-building moments. Both text and art complement each other perfectly. Too long alone, the protagonist heads back to its rowdy family, imparting a slice of wisdom to readers: "I'll be good to my fellow eggs while also being good to myself." It's an empowering moment made all the better when this good egg returns to find a rapturous welcome from the others.Eggs-quisitely excellent. (Picture book. 4-8)

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Starred review from January 1, 2019
Grades K-3 *Starred Review* This is another thought- and laughter-provoking morality tale from the creators of The Bad Seed? (2017). Where the bad seed went out of his way to be rude and mean, the good egg knocks himself out helping others. We meet this paragon of virtue, a speckled brown egg with enormous eyes magnified by huge round glasses, as he rescues a cat from a tree. The egg narrates his own story, telling of his many commendable deeds (the reader may suspect he's a bit of an egg-omaniac). The art, using watercolor textures and digital paint, is filled with comic detail, as in the curved piece of bacon that captures the bent form of an elderly woman whom the good egg helps across the street, or in the good egg's 11 siblings, who upend every scene they're in with their pranks. The narrator is a one-egg rescue squad and cleanup crew, until one day his brain feels scrambled and he starts to crack?literally. Realizing he "can't be the only good egg in a bad carton," he leaves for some relaxation and much-needed "me time." Eventually he returns home a better egg, having learned not to be so hard on others (like his carton mates) or, more important, on himself. An enormously entertaining lesson about the perils of perfectionism.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2019, American Library Association.)