One More Egg

A chicken comes of age trying to help a mysterious bunny who needs "just one more egg" (even very young readers may suspect the fellow's true identity). Burg's full-bleed pencil-and-watercolor spreads, in hues of spring greens and yellows, depict a sequence of barnyard visits as the chicken (who believes she's too young to lay eggs) seeks the egg from her neighbors. Each animal in turn explains its role on the farm: "Me? I don't lay eggs. All I can give is my soft, warm wool," says the sheep. The bunny, dressed in a yellow jumpsuit and long, pointed matching slippers, follows the chicken around, only intervening when the feathered helper approaches a hungry-looking wolf. In the safety of the henhouse, the heroine's roommates tell her that she herself has the power to fulfill the rabbit's request. The endpapers offer clues to the Easter bunny legend (the long-eared fellow stands at a workbench filled with brightly colored eggs). Children will easily identify with the chicken's sense of accomplishment—"I laid it myself—my very first egg!"—in this comfortably predictable tale. Ages 3-up. (Jan.)