Daniel finds a little egg, puts it in a box, and shows it to his friends as they come along. The children suggest one dangerous or inconvenient animal after another that might be inside the egg, but Daniel expects a small, nice, quiet pet. To the boy's great satisfaction, the egg hatches and a lizard emerges. Written with a simple vocabulary and growing sense of anticipation, this story will suit beginning readers well. Karas' stylized illustrations, collages of cut paper enhanced with drawing and painting, clearly delineate between the actual and imagined scenes. A pleasing entry in the Green Light Reader series.

Daniel and his friends take turns guessing what will hatch from an egg he found. His friends think the egg contains an ostrich, alligator, or duck, but Daniel believes the egg belongs to a more tractable animal. Eventually, a small, quiet lizard emerges. An easy-to-read text and attractive collage-style illustrations make for an enjoyable beginning reader.

<p>Daniel finds a small egg underneath a bush. His friends imagine that when it hatches, the creature may be big, loud, or dangerous, but Daniel hopes it will be small, quiet, and nice. Vowel blends and complicated consonant combinations will suit the growing reading skills of second-graders, but the handling of the subject raises important issues. Daniel removes the animal from its environment and fancies that beyond his curiosity, there is nothing else to be considered. Where the animal may have survived on its own, now it is in the hands of a young boy who wonders about nothing but what nice animal might be in the egg. (A lizard, as it turns out.) Though the text size, word choice, and smooth flow of writing combine well with Karas's (The Class Artist, not reviewed, etc.) simple drawings, the unconscionable attitude that wild creatures are up for grabs is inhumane. (Easy reader. 6-8)</p>

Gr 1-2-An appealing story in which a boy finds a small white egg. He shows it to three friends, one at a time. Each child speculates as to what might be inside and how to help once it has hatched. After some waiting, what emerges is not an ostrich or an alligator or a duck, as his friends imagined, but a lizard, exactly the kind of animal Daniel predicted-"small, nice, and quiet." Karas's collages cover three-fourths of each spread or page and are either above or below the text. Most are in full color, with the exceptions being the illustrations that represent what the three imagine is in the egg. Those pictures are more muted and depict the kids peeking over the edges of the scenes. With large-sized type, short sentences, repeated words and phrases, and plenty of illustrations, this book is just right for beginning readers.-Kathleen Simonetta, Indian Trails Public Library District, Wheeling, IL Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information.