*Hank Finds an Egg by Rebecca Dudley

*Hank Finds an Egg, by Rebecca Dudley.  Peter Pauper, 2013, 36 pages.  

Reading Level: Picture Books, ages 0-4

Recommended for: ages 0-4 and up

Bottom Line: This lovely wordless book uses highly-detailed dioramas to tell a simple story of caring for strangers. 

This book is a nice addition to Easter, but makes a lovely gift anytime.  Hank, a little stuffed creature something tween a monkey and a teddy bear, comes across a tiny white egg on the leafy ground of his forest home.  What to do?  Pass on by, or take responsibility for the life within?  He spots the nest it came from, on a branch too high to reach.  Placing the egg in his tiny woven backpack, Hank explores several ways to get it back in the nest, but when night falls he must return to his homey clearing in the forest, build a fire, and sleep on the problem.  The story has a happy ending that pre-readers can easily follow, but what will fascinate them—and their parents—are the series of painstakingly constructed dioramas that serve as illustration.  Handmade down to the last leaf, expertly lighted and photographed, each picture conveys the rawness and tenderness of spring, and the joy of kindness rewarded.

Cautions: None

Overall rating: 5 (out of 5)

• Worldview/moral value: 5
• Artistic value: 5

Categories: Animal Stories, Wordless, picture Books, Starred Review, Gift Books, Character Values