What will hatch? by Jennifer Ward

Ill. by Susie Gharemani. Walker Books, 2014. ISBN 9780802723116.
(Age: Preschool) Warmly recommended. Animals. Offspring. Eggs are shown in their variety, small and large, round and pointy, hard and soft, in the ground, in a nest or on a leaf; each is shown in detail about its position in the environment and what it will hatch to become. One each double page spread is a picture of an egg, shown in its position on the earth's surface, cold or wet, hot or steamy, high or low, and the egg as the page is turned, becomes a cut out which reveals its parents. So the egg of an animal in a cold, mountainous place becomes the egg of a penguin the baby of which fits snugly on dad's feet.
In a lily pond small eggs float near the reeds,and over the page they become tadpoles with a frog nearby to show what they will eventually become. On a bright green leaf, small yellow eggs are hidden underneath and over the page the caterpillar emerges. Eight different sorts of eggs and their results are presented in this way, encouraging young readers to predict, to look through the holes in the pages before turning the page, to be excited and involved.
The illustrations are lively and bold with the little holes just begging the reader to peep through, and the page at the end showing the development of a chick in the egg most useful, while two pages are devoted to an extended explanation of the creatures depicted in the book.
Lovely to hold, fascinating to read, this will prove to be a favourite amongst small children eager to explore the world around them. The range of animals will invite curious minds to further explore where these creatures can be found.
Fran Knight