From School Library Journal
Grade 1–3—Sharply focused full-color photographs are the media of choice for this combination I-spy/storybook. On Little Pond Farm, seven hens must share three nesting boxes. White-feathered Tillie, however, not being one to follow the crowd, prefers using a variety of places to lay her eggs—the garden, the front porch, the kitchen, and even the laundry basket—all of which offer culinary treats superior to the barnyard corn. Individual tableaux are well set, and the sprightly chickens (all with names and individual portraits) peek into the margins, adding interest. Brief text describes Tillie's meanderings followed by the quote "Where has Tillie laid her egg?" involving youngsters in the search. At story's end, the open door of a bright red pickup truck reveals that she has found another unusual spot to lay an egg. Fink's photos serve the text well, inviting visual explorations as his camera follows Tillie around the farmyard, into the house, and back to the nesting box.—
Barbara Elleman, Eric Carle Museum of Picture Book Art, Amherst, MA Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
Every day at Little Pond Farm, each of the seven hens lays one egg in the nesting boxes, except for lively, inquisitive Tillie, who would rather wander about, finding delicious worms. Monday through Sunday, her explorations take her from henhouse to farmhouse. The recurring question “Where has Tillie laid her egg?” provides a fun seek-and-find game. The illustrations and text work well in tandem. Charming color photos portray Tillie in diverse, artfully composed scenes that invite scrutiny, while the accompanying words include Tillie’s wry thoughts: “Yuck, this worm is very dry,” she muses as she gnaws a bootlace. Touched with wit and whimsy, Golson and Fink’s first children’s book also offers ample opportunities to engage children in activities, from sharing basic chicken information (egg-laying; diet) to reviewing counting and days of the week. The playful, enjoyable story includes a chicken portrait gallery and an author’s note on her chickens, which inspired the book’s cast. Preschool-Grade 2. --Shelle Rosenfeld
