Hazel and Twig
THE LOST EGG
Written and Illustrated by Brenna Burns Yu
Candlewick Press 3/17/2020
978–1-5362-0492-6
40 Pages   Age 3—7

Genre:  Children’s Picture Book, Fiction
Themes:  Discovery, Family Love, Sisterhood

 
Synopsis

Hazel and Twig are playing in the meadow one day when they discover an egg. “Let’s hatch it together!” suggests Hazel, and they sit on it to keep it warm. But an egg takes a very long time to hatch, so the sisters decide to bring the egg home with them. Hazel dreams of all the ways they will take care of their new pet after it hatches — building it a nest, teaching it to fly, and finding worms for it to eat. But is the egg really theirs for the taking?

Brenna Burns Yu revisits the charming miniature world of Korean-American mouse sisters Hazel and Twig in a story perfect for any kid who has ever asked, “Can I keep it?” (from jacket flap)

Opening Sentences

“Hazel and her little sister, Twig, were sitting on a rock in the meadow. Hazel was making a wildflower chain. Twig was unmaking the wildflower chain.”

Why I like Hazel and Twig: The Lost Egg

The Lost Egg is a wonderful story about two mouse-sisters who find an egg and decide to keep it. Hazel, the older mouse-sister, and Twig are in the meadow, sitting on a rock. Hazel is using wildflowers to make a chain, while Twig, sitting behind her sister, works at unchaining the wildflowers. Hazel tells Twig, “Twig, you will have to find your own rock!” Twig finds a blue rock, but it is really a blue egg.

This is a cute opening scene and sets the tone for the rest of the story. Twig is a toddler; she irritates her sister at times, loses her shoe, and wanders away while busy discovering life. Hazel is older, at the age of knowing every answer and she plays this role well. Together, Hazel and Twig are an unbeatable combination. Children will love their stories and should be able to relate at any age.

The sisters decide to hatch and raise the egg, so they start home with it in tow. Appa (Korean for father), meets them and agrees to help. While Hazel explains flying lessons, catching worms, and building nests, Twigs wanders off. Upset by this, Hazel realizes the egg is also lost and decides they need to find egg’s parents. With Umma’s (Korean for mother), ladder and help they begin comparing eggs. They find big, small, solid colors, and speckles, but no blue egg. Hazel hears a noise and realizes birds live in trees and near the riverbed.

From beginning to end, The Lost Egg flows nicely from one topic to the next with natural calm and determination. Sisterly love, the importance of family, curiosity, observation, discovery, and lost things going home are important themes in The Lost Egg. Children will love the two sisters. The get along great, but as toddlers do, Twig annoys Hazel at times. Who doesn’t have an annoying sibling?

The illustrations are beautiful. The mouse family lives in a soft green area with equally soft blue skies. Each mouse, and their wagon, are brightly colored and standout.  On one spread, the right side reads, “Umma climbed tree after tree.” John Bolton, an eighteenth-century naturalist, inspires the nature illustration on the left side, and all the bugs throughout the story.

Hazel and Twig: The Lost Egg is the second book in the Hazel and Twig series. Children will love the lovely story, as will parents. Intended for children up to age seven, any age, especially with a toddler in their lap, will like Hazel and Twig: The Lost Egg. Highly recommended.

Illustrations Rendered in ink and watercolor.

Available at Amazon

Hazel and Twig #2: THE LOST EGG. Copyright © 2020 by Brenna Burns Yu. Published by Candlewick Press, Somerville, MA.

 

Copyright © 2020 by Sue Morris/Kid Lit Reviews. All Rights Reserved
[421 word count-review only]

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