Daniels Mystery Egg Green Light Readers Level 2

Grades 1-2--An appealing story in which a boy finds a small white egg. He shows it to three friends, one at a time. Each child speculates as to what might be inside and how to help once it has hatched. After some waiting, what emerges is not an ostrich or an alligator or a duck, as his friends imagined, but a lizard, exactly the kind of animal Daniel predicted-"small, nice, and quiet." Karas's collages cover three-fourths of each spread or page and are either above or below the text. Most are in full color, with the exceptions being the illustrations that represent what the three imagine is in the egg. Those pictures are more muted and depict the kids peeking over the edges of the scenes. With large-sized type, short sentences, repeated words and phrases, and plenty of illustrations, this book is just right for beginning readers. Kathleen Simonetta, Indian Trails Public Library District, Wheeling, IL (School Library Journal )Gr. 1-2. Daniel finds a little egg, puts it in a box, and shows it to his friends as they come along. The children suggest one dangerous or inconvenient animal after another that might be inside the egg, but Daniel expects a small, nice, quiet pet. To the boy's great satisfaction, the egg hatches and a lizard emerges. Written with a simple vocabulary and growing sense of anticipation, this story will suit beginning readers well. Karas' stylized illustrations, collages of cut paper enhanced with drawing and painting, clearly delineate between the actual and imagined scenes. A pleasing entry in the Green Light Reader series. (Booklist - Carolyn Phelan )--This text refers to an alternate Paperbackedition.