If you're trying to teach children about egg incubation for various species, children's books about eggs hatching can help. For these curious youngsters, finding out how eggs hatch, and finding what emerges from them, is a fascinating journey of discovery. When you think about eggs hatching, baby chicks often come to mind. However, many creatures on planet Earth hatch their offspring from eggs.
Children's Books About Eggs Hatching
The following children's books about egg hatching will help children learn about the many types of reptiles, insects and birds that lay eggs.
Kindergarten through Second Grade
- From Egg to Chicken by Gerald Legg
- The Chicken or the Egg? by Alan Fowler
- Where do Chicks Come From? by Amy E. Sklansky
- Eggs and Chicks by Fiona Patchett
- Chickens Aren't the Only Ones by Ruth Heller
- The Chick that Wouldn't Hatch by Clair Daniel
- Hatching Chicks by Susan Blackaby
- Guess What Is Growing Inside This Egg? by Mia Posada - a book about penguins
- From Egg to Chicken by Robin Nelson
- Chick: See How They Grow by DK Publishing
- Chicken and Egg by Christine Back
- An Egg Is Quiet by Dianna Hutts Aston - a book about different eggs, from salmon to birds eggs
- Eggs by Marilyn Singer
- A Nest Full of Eggs by Priscella Belz Jenkins
- ''About Eggs and Creatures That Hatch From Them" by Melvin John Uhl
- Horton Hatches the Egg by Dr. Seuss
- Little Grunt and the Big Egg: A Prehistoric Fairy Tale by Tomie dePaola
- An Extraordinary Egg by Leo Lionni - a book about a frog egg
- Egg: A Photographic Story of Hatching by Robert and Jane Burton
- The Lifecycle of Fish: From Egg to Adult by Richard Spilsbury
- A Salamander's Life by John Himmelman
- A House Spider's Life by John Himmelman
- Mary Veronica's Egg by Netherey and Yalowitz - a book about a duck egg
- Sliding Surprise Books: Who's Hatching? by Charles Reasoner
- Slinky, Scaly Snakes by Jennifer Dussling
- Pet Bugs: A Kid's Guide to Catching and Keeping Touchable Insects by Sally Kneidel
Third Grade and Up
Older children also enjoy non-fiction books on eggs that hatch. From ancient dinosaurs to spiders, the following books will keep young readers both fascinated and entertained:
- The Life Cycles of Butterflies: From Egg to Maturity by Judy Burris
- Dinosaur Eggs Discovered: Unscrambling the Clues by Lowell Dingus
- ''Frog Heaven: Ecology of a Vernal Pool" by Doug Wechsler
- Turtle Summer: A Journal for my Daughter by Mary Alice Monroe - a photographic book about Loggerhead sea turtles
- From Egg to Snake: Following the Life Cycle by Suzanne Slade
- Simon and Schuster Children's Guide to Insects and Spiders by Jinny Johnson
- Bugs Before Time: Prehistoric Insects and Their Relatives by Cathy Camper
Classroom Egg Hatching
For many teachers, hatching eggs in the classroom is a yearly science activity. While it is possible to hatch many different creatures in the classroom, few books are available for teachers on the subject. The following books are designed to help teachers lead this type of activity with their students:
- Hatching Eggs In the Classroom: A Teacher's Guide by A. Lee Cartwright - a guide to hatching chicken eggs
- The Simplified Classroom Aquarium: A Teacher's Guide to Operating and Maintaining a Small Classroom Aquarium by Ed Stansbury - includes information on acquiring and hatching fish eggs
- Showy Science: Exciting Hands-On Activities That Explore the World Around Us by Kim and Hy - includes information on hatching insect eggs. This book is a teacher resource for grades 3-6.
While many of these books are available in school libraries, don't forget to check out your local public library as well. Many of these titles can be found through inter-library loans. In addition, more information on the subject can be found on various websites on the Internet..
