Review - The Good Egg

The Good Egg (The Food Group #2)
by Jory John
illustrated by Pete Oswald
Date: 2019
Publisher: HarperCollins
Reading level: C
Book type: picture book
Pages: 40
Format: e-book
Source: library

In this follow-up to Jory John and Pete Oswald’s popular picture book The Bad Seed, meet the next best thing: a very good egg, indeed!

The good egg has been good for as long as he can remember. While the other eggs in his carton are kind of rotten, he always does the right, kind, and courteous thing. He is a verrrrrrry good egg indeed! Until one day he decides that enough is enough! He begins to crack (quite literally) from the pressure of always having to be grade-A perfect.

(synopsis from Goodreads)

Having read The Bad Seed last year, I was eager to give The Good Egg a try. I actually like this one a little more than its predecessor... mostly because I can really relate to the main character!

The good egg is verrrrrry good. He's a perfectionist... but it doesn't extend just to himself. He gets annoyed by the other eggs in his carton (who have amusing names; I won't spoil that for you) when they don't live up to his standards. So he decides to strike out on his own. After taking some time for himself, though, he realizes he's a bit lonely. When he returns to the carton with his newfound wisdom, he's a lot more mellow. He realizes he doesn't have to be good (i.e., perfect) all the time.

This will probably resonate with perfectionists and/or sticklers for the rules. I really could have used this book when I was a kid. It used to drive me bonkers when other kids wouldn't do what they were supposed to do or if they didn't do it the way I thought it should've been done. The message about just letting some things go--that not everything has to be perfect all the time--is a nice one. Some picture books with similar messages kind of hit you over the head (which I don't like), but The Good Egg is a moral wrapped up in a pun-filled story about a goody-two-shoes egg and his quest for perfection. Oswald's illustrations, simple though they might be, are just icing on the cake.

I would recommend both The Good Egg and The Bad Seed. While they tackle different topics, they're both fun to read (for children and adults alike).

Premise: 4/5
Meter: n/a
Writing: 4/5
Illustrations: 4/5
Originality: 4/5

Enjoyment: 4/5

Overall: 4 out of 5