The Enormous Egg [Paperback]

Oliver Butterworth (Author), Louis Darling (Illustrator)

Book Description

Grade Level: 3 and up

Young Nate Twitchell is surprised when one of the hens on his family farm lays a giant egg. After a painstaking wait, Nate is even more surprised when it hatches and out pops a baby triceratops that he names Uncle Beazley! But when Nate decides to keep the dino and raise it on his own, he has no idea what he's getting himself into. As Uncle Beazley grows, Nate and his family realize they are not equipped to take care of a full-sized dinosaur, and so with the help of their scientist friend, Nate and Uncle Beazley set off for the National Museum in Washington, D.C., on the hunt for the perfect home for a modern-day dinosaur---then the real trouble begins!

The Enormous Egg was originally published in 1956 and has been a classic in children's literature ever since. This brand new edition features amazing new illustrations from Eisner-award winning graphic novelist Mark Crilley (creator of Akiko and Miki Falls).

Editorial Reviews

Review

"Quite a yarn. Recommended." (School Library Journal (double-starred review) )

"[An] engagingly hilarious comedy." (Christian Science Monitor )

About the Author

Oliver Butterworth was born in Hartford, Connecticut, in 1918. Before his death in 1990, he taught English at the Hartford College of Women for 43 years.

Product Details

• Paperback: 188 pages
• Publisher: Little, Brown Books for Young Readers (April 1, 1993)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0316119202
• ISBN-13: 978-0316119207
• Product Dimensions: 5 x 0.5 x 7.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 4.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (40 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #72,544 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #35 in Books > 4-for-3 Books > Children's Books > Animals > Dinosaurs > Fiction

More About the Author

Discover books, learn about writers, read author blogs, and more.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

16 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Great for the immagination!, March 12, 2002

By A Customer

This review is from: The Enormous Egg (Paperback)

This book is about a young boy in Freedom, New Hampshire named Nate Twitchell and his discovery. The young boy went to fetch his hen one day and noticed that the hen had laid an enormous egg. Six weeks later the Twitchell family realizes that the egg hatched into something much bigger than they imagined, a triceratops. Scientists from all over went to New Hampshire to see this animal. Soon the dinosaur got to big to stay in Freedom. With the help of a paleontologist Nate gets down to Washington DC where he is turned away form the zoo because the animal would cost too much money to feed. Soon Nate and the scientist are trying to convince everyone why the dinosaur should stay.
This book is an easy read for a fifth grade class. The silly predicaments Nate and his dinosaur get in are great. Also there is suspense and frustration when Nate is denied a home for the rare/extinct animal. This chapter book has few pictures throughout but they are useful in assisting the imagination in order create this scenario in your mind. In this book there are also many true facts about dinosaurs that were great. Like how much it eats, grows, and weighs.

12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A splendid book, March 6, 2003

By 

Tadd Clark, a 10 year old reader (Abingdon, Virginia) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Enormous Egg (Paperback)

I loved this book because it was a funny aventure. I thought the dinosaur, Uncle Beasley, was awesome. My favorite part was when he turmed over a truck on the highway. I thought it was funny! Nate was a cool guy because he rode the dinosaur and saved him from dying. Everybody would enjoy this book!

25 of 30 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Terrific, Imaginative Tale, August 30, 2000

By 

Roz Levine - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Enormous Egg (Paperback)

One morning, as Nate Twitchell goes to the hen house to collect eggs, he finds one of his chickens sitting on an enormous egg...it's even bigger than the hen. No one has ever seen anything like this before and Nate is determined to take care of the egg and make sure it hatches. But, taking care of the egg is a big chore. Nate has to turn it often, to keep it warm and watch it carefully. After six weeks it hatches and out comes, not a baby chick, but a baby triceratops. News of the birth of a dinosaur travels fast and soon doctors, scientists and even politicians are coming to town to have a look. As the dinosaur grows larger and larger, some decisions have to be made about where it will live and who will take the best care of it. Mr Butterworth has written a wonderful, fast paced story, narrated by Nate, that your kids will not want to stop reading. The Enormous Egg is an action packed, funny and sometimes poignant story full of interesting characters and great, vivid scenes. This is the perfect book for kids age 9-12 and a terrific read-aloud book the whole family can enjoy together.