Customer Reviews

Tillie Lays An Egg

5 star:		(10)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

As the author of Chicken Butt! and Chicken Bedtime Is Really Early, I pride myself on knowing my chicken books for kids. My new favorite is TILLIE LAYS AN EGG, by Terry Golson (photography by Ben Fink) and it is brand new from Scholastic Press. It just got a starred review from Publisher's Weekly, which means that it really doesn't need my help BUT I'm going to offer it anyway.

This is a sweet and funny book about a chicken (one of seven owned by the author, who is also the author of The Farmstead Egg Cookbook among other culinary titles) who bucks the trend of waiting for a turn in the nesting box and sets off daily for greener pastures to lay her egg. In photographs, we see her all over the farm, exploring as only a chicken would (mistaking shoelaces for worms in one spread) and leaving her mark, egg-wise, on the landscape.

TILLIE has an appealingly cozy, retro feel. In part, this is because of the vintage decor - several of the bright, sunny scenes are reminiscent of "I Spy" books because in addition to hunting for Tillie's eggs, readers can spot antique toys, chicken-themed tschotchkes, and fabulous fifties fabrics. It is also because photographs are so rarely used to illustrate modern children's books, especially fictional ones (if you like them, visit your local library for a trip down memory lane... The Lonely Doll, anyone?). Golson and Fink have collaborated on a book that children and adults will enjoy reading and rereading (my kids sure did). The chicken's-eye-view perspective adds to its considerable charm. All in all, TILLIE is a good egg.

(Note: This review was also published on Pajamazon at www.offsrung.com)

Tillie is not one to wait in line to lay her eggs. She has other things to explore. This book is fun and informative. You never know where Tillie will lay her eggs. The website at [...]. You can watch the chickens and the rabbit, who lives with them. It makes me wish I could have chickens in my backyard again.

I can't believe anyone gave this book less than 5 stars. This book is a family favorite. It has wonderful pictures, a good story and lovable characters. Kids even get to do a search which is a great activity. This is a fantastic book to read to a child.

My 2 and 3 year olds (who are now 4 and 5) LOVE this book, going on 3 years. Few books hold up like that, but at each of these ages they found a new way to engage with it - from hunting for the eggs, to counting the chicken paraphernalia, to using a calendar the old school learning is clear and direct. As they have grown older, they ADORE the hen cam, an online resource the author has set up where you can watch her hens in real time (as well as get to know her pet goats, her dogs, and her new bunny). Now my girls know her animal family by name, by biography, and by personality from checking in on the cam. They worry about them in the cold weather and check to see if they are inside. They wonder which boxes each hen nests in and write the author their questions (which she answers!) All to say, this is not a one-shot book. It is an introduction to a very active and very welcoming family. We borrowed it from the library for the greater part of a year and then bought it for our kids and for most of the kids we know for Christmas. I am a bit of a luddite mom, but my favorite 5 year old technology moment so far - when she left a quiz for her little sister: "How many chickens are nesting RIGHT NOW at Little Pond Farm?"

We first became aware of "Tillie Lays an Egg" when we checked it out from the library. My 3 year-old son loves finding Tillie's eggs in the photographs on each page and I love the retro photography. We're hoping to see more from Ms. Golson and her chickens - Twinkydink in particular (hearing the name sends my son into fits of laughter).

My four year old daughter thinks this is the funniest book ever. Where will Tillie lay her egg next? With a combination of searching for the egg on each page, going through the days of the week, providing ample opportunity for counting, we love this book! Can't wait for the sequel!

This delightful book will captivate youngsters for hours. A three-year-old of my acquaintance recently required her mother to read it to her three times before they left the house in the morning. The attention to detail in the photos gives readers lots to discover and delight in, not to mention Tillie's eggs!

Invaluable for city and country kids alike. Tillie may well influence her readers to raise their own chickens when they are old enough. I hope Tillie's graduates will benefit from my books, How To Raise Chickens: Everything You Need To Know (How to Raise...)How to Raise Poultry (How to Raise...).

In the backyard of a small Massachusetts farm, there lived seven beautiful hens. Six of them knew they were supposed to lay eggs in their nesting boxes, and scratch the ground for corn. Then there was Tillie.

Tillie's search for tasty, juicy worms led her farther and farther away from the hen house each day, until she ended up doing things like napping in the laundry room, and laying an egg in the bedroom. One day it rained, and Tilly -- stuck in the henhouse -- laid an egg in the nesting box (which, truth be told, was a warm, cozy spot). But the next day, the was was shining and Tillie was off on her adventures again.

There are many elements that make this book compelling: 1) It is a cute and unusual story, well told. 2) In a bow to I-Spy type books, readers can search for Tillie's oddly laid eggs each day. 3) The full-page photography is bold and vivid. 4) these are/were actually the author's hens, photographed on Golson's actual property. 5) Readers can follow up on the hens at Golson's hen blog/hen cam (www.hencam.com). I had never heard of Golson (who has published several cookbooks) before, but I can gladly say I am now a fan.

I have purchased this book three times for various children. The photos are fun and kids enjoy finding the eggs throughout the book. We have chickens and so my grandchildren especially enjoy the photos!

Purchased for grandchildren at their Mom's request. They are 3 and 5 years old and mom reports that they love the book and searching for the eggs. The layout, colors, story line are all excellent. Great entertainment as well as beginning reading for the 5 year old.