Review by Booklist Review
Ages 4-7. Jessica the frog discovers an egg, which her frog friend Marilyn identifies as a ~chicken egg. A baby alligator hatches out, but the frogs continue to call it a chicken. When Jessica helps the "little chicken" find his mother, she's amused when the mother calls him "my sweet little alligator." It's not much of a story, but preschoolers who are old enough to know their alligators from their chickens will enjoy being in on the joke. Lionni's collages of cut papers, shaded with crayons or oil pastels, make distinctive double-page spreads that show up well at a distance, and the text is clearly written. A mildly appealing animal tale for Lionni fans. ~--Carolyn Phelan
From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Review by Publisher's Weekly Review
``On Pebble Island, there lived three frogs: Marilyn, August, and one who was always somewhere else.'' Like the amiable animals in Lionni's previous, inimitable fables, these anthropomorphized amphibians have a quiet but memorable adventure. In the spotlight is the roving frog, Jessica, who is ``full of wonder,'' and proclaims everything she finds--even common pebbles--``extraordinary.'' When she comes across a stone that is ``perfect, white like the snow and round like the full moon on a midsummer night,'' she lugs it home, whereupon Marilyn, ``who knew everything about everything,'' announces that it is a chicken egg. ``I was right! It is a chicken!'' she exclaims smugly when the egg hatches and a baby alligator emerges. Kids will giggle at the frogs' repeated references to the friendly newborn as ``the chicken.'' They'll be even more tickled when the frogs chuckle at the ``mother chicken'' who, finally reunited with her offspring, greets her ``sweet little alligator.'' ``What a silly thing to say!'' concludes the omniscient Marilyn. In his 40th book, Lionni is in typically fine form. Ages 3-7. (Apr.) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved
(c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved
Review by School Library Journal Review
PreS-K-Leo Lionni, that picture-book master who was always a bridesmaid (he recevied four Caldecott Honors, but never the Medal), has been a favorite among librarians and children for generations. After a successful career as an art director and graphic designer, Lionni began creating children's books at the age of 50. From the startling simplicity of his first book, Little Blue and Little Yellow (1959), to the exquisite compositions and thoughtful storytelling in Swimmy (1973), Inch by Inch (1960), Frederick (1967), and Alexander and the Wind-up Mouse (1969), Lionni's style is characterized by textural collage work, naturalistic palettes, and straightforward, child-friendly text. His last children's book, An Extraordinary Egg, was completed in 1994, when Lionni was 84 years old. It's the charming tale of Jessica, a frog "full of wonder," and her extraordinary pebble that turns out to be an extraordinary egg. Jessica and her froggy friends insist that the hatchling is a chicken, depite clear visual evidence to the contrary. Back in hardcover, this classic picture book is a delightful read-aloud and deserves a spot on the shelf along with Lionni's other great works. (c) Copyright 2015. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
(c) Copyright Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Review by Horn Book Review
Jessica the frog finds what her friends assure her is a chicken egg, and, eventually, a long, green, scaly 'chicken' emerges and plays with the frogs all day long. The 'chicken' finds its mother, who smiles an enormous smile and calls her ''my sweet little alligator.'' Lionni's simple animal shapes are a perfect complement to the quiet humor of the story. From HORN BOOK 1994, (c) Copyright 2010. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
(c) Copyright The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Review by Kirkus Book Review
Jessica is a fancier of stones and pebbles, but her friends Marilyn and August, also frogs, don't share her enthusiasm until she turns up with what Marilyn, ``who knew everything about everything,'' identifies as a ``chicken egg.'' The little ``chicken'' that hatches is congenial and loves the water; once she even saves Jessica when she gets entangled in water weeds. Then the ``chicken's'' mother turns up, greeting her baby, accurately, as ``my sweet little alligator.'' With the frogs urging them to visit soon, the alligators depart amiably, leaving the trio to laugh at the ``chicken'' who called her baby an alligator: ``What a silly thing to say!'' Lionni's mixed-media art (soft, delicately stylized settings in subtle colors, ample white space, appealing collage-like figures) is particularly felicitous, and kids will love identifying the little alligator and laughing at the frogs' mistake. Just the thing to lighten up a picture-book hour. (Picture book. 3-7)
Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
