Hatch!, written and illustrated by Roxie Munro
I love finding nonfiction books which are not just fact-machines; whose words and artwork awaken a sense of wonder, and curiosity, and appreciation for the beauty and elegance of the natural world. Hatch! is that kind of book. Published this year, it’s the kind of book that, if I’d had it when my kids were small, I know we would have loved to worn-out splendor.
Munro leads off with a page devoted to the fascination of birds — the 
amazing variety of birds and their eggs; some brainteasing questions about the tallest, smallest, and fastest. Do you know which birds can sleep while flying?! After this little appetizer, Munro launches into the main course…
…a two-page spread with a glorious illustration of one bird’s eggs on one side, and some clues to the bird’s identity on the other. “They belong to a songbird whose name was inspired by the male’s bright colors, which resemble the coat of arms of a seventeenth-century Maryland governor…” and on she goes, giving us intriguing information about the bird as she invites us to guess its identity. These are not boring, same-old-same-old tidbits. They are sufficiently in-depth to satisfy readers with a good background in birds. Then we…
…turn the page, to find another glorious two-page spread, this time a gorgeous painting in colored ink of our bird 
in its native habitat, its particular nest, and the young birds who have hatched out of those mysterious eggs we saw. So beautiful and so rewarding! Here again, Munro gives us another little cloud of interesting information about our new bird friend, now identified properly. And, once we’ve admired our bird, we look at the bottom of the page to see…
…a short list of other creatures who share this habitat with our bird, and which Munro has tucked into the painting for us to find! Can you spot the porcupine? the coyote? So much fun!
There are nine egg-and-bird sets here, in habitats ranging from ice to desert, from cliff-top to African savanna. The book is an extra-big size, so the paintings of the beautiful eggs are 
sweetly large and the habitat spreads seem to fill the room. Now is the season for nesting, and hatching, and feeding, and thrilling to the wonder of birds. Do yourself and your kids a favor by drawing your attention to these creatures. This book is an exceptional treat to help you on your way.
Here’s the Amazon link: Hatch!
orange marmalade 