What Will Hatch?

by Jennifer Ward, Susie Ghahremani (Illustrator)

Jelly, jiggly.What will hatch? Wiggly, squiggly. . . tadpole.What is more exciting than waiting for an egg to hatch? Creatures of all varieties begin inside an egg-and those eggs also come in all shapes and sizes. From a squiggly tadpole to fuzzy robin to a leathery platypus, this charming text and unique illustrations show eight different animals as they begin life. With a cut-out on each page readers will have fun guessing... what will hatch?

Genres: Picture Books, Animals, Storytime, Childrens, Birds, Nonfiction, Nature

40 pages, Hardcover

First published February 5, 2013

About the author

Jennifer Ward is the author of more than 25 award-winning nonfiction and fiction books for children and adults.

Her books have been translated into many languages and featured in Martha Stewart's Living, Ranger Rick, on NPR, television's Animal Planet network, and on many popular blogs such as Soule Mama.

Most of Jennifer's books are inspired by science and nature and artfully combine elements of STEM & literacy.

She writes full-time from her home in Illinois where she lives with her husband and two dogs and is easily distracted by everything outside of her windows - particularly if it has feathers!

Reviews

[KC · Rating 4 out of 5]

Whose egg is that belong to? Turn the page and you shall see!

[Katie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Such a sweet book for toddlers this Spring!

What a nice surprise to see a picture book illustrated by Susie Ghahremani on the library's new book shelves! I have some of her artwork at home!

[Tegan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another great story about figuring out what type of eggs they are and what will be in them! The kids were particularly excited about the tadpoles.

[Michelle · Rating 5 out of 5]

SUPER cute art.

[Baby Bookworm · Rating 3 out of 5]

This review was originally written for The Baby Bookworm. Visit us for new picture books reviews daily!

Hello everyone! Today, our book was What Will Hatch?, written by Jennifer Ward and illustrated by Susie Ghahremani. This peek-through book takes a look at all the different creatures that lay and hatch from eggs, called oviparous animals. Each page features an egg and a few short rhyming words to describe the creature inside, with the animal’s reveal on the next page (there is also a small peek-through cutout in the shape of each egg leading to the next page). At the end, there is a nonfiction section that lists the animals and their gestation times inside an egg, which was a nice touch.

This is a nice and straightforward book about egg-laying creatures. The minimal text make it good for very young readers, and also make it a great length for baby bookworms like JJ. The folk-art is very cute, simple and colorful for little nature-lovers. Overall, a perfectly nice book. Baby Bookworm approved!

Be sure to check out The Baby Bookworm for more reviews!

[Janet · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great picture book focused on what animal will hatch from an egg. Eight oviparous animals are illustrated using a heavy stock paper. Each animal is given a double page spread illustration showing the nest of eggs and the following two page spread depict the animal that hatches from the egg. On the pages depicting the nest there are die cuts of the eggs. Very engaging title and overall a very well designed book.

[Crickets · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is such a fun book for my little nephew!! I love the cut outs and the educational aspect, too!

[Dana · Rating 5 out of 5]

Both of my girls age 1 & 7 adore this picture book!

[Ammie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Jennifer Ward is another new to us author that we enjoy. My 9 year old was excited to know all the answers due to learning so much about eggs recently. My 3 yr old loves the cut outs.

[Caitlin Sabers · Rating 4 out of 5]

Grades k-2
Animal characteristics, oviparous animals, eggs.

[Cheriee Weichel · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a delightful information board book. Each section is made up of two, two page spreads. The first includes a setting with a clutch of eggs and includes the question? What will hatch? The next page names and shows the hatched creatures. Each set of pages also includes a rhyming couplet. Readers will learn about turtles, tadpoles, penguins and crocodiles. Did you know that crocodiles are doting mothers?

[Ruth Ann · Rating 3 out of 5]

Using gouache paint on wood for the illustrations, illustrator Susie Ghahremani also hand-lettered each word in this almost-rhyming picture book depiction of the eggs of several creatures in their natural habitats:
Caterpillar
Sea turtle
Tadpole
Crocodile
Goldfinch
Penguin
Robin
Platypus
Information about each oviparous animal in the back.

[Sylvie Gold · Rating 5 out of 5]

Perfect for Kindergarten unit on animal classification! Opportunities to guess not only what animal will come out of each type of egg, but what animal classification that animal belongs to -- answers include reptiles, amphibians, birds, and insects. (I'm not remembering any fish, but maybe I will look at it again to double check.)

[Dzana · Rating 4 out of 5]

What will hatch is a great book! It talks about different types of animals that lay eggs. Fish, birds, reptile and monotreme all lay eggs. Teachers can use this book to teach children about different types of eggs and where they come from.

[Jenn · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is just the right amount of introduction to eggs and animals for the littlest of readers. Appreciate the additional information for especially curious minds at the end as a starting place for deeper dives.

[Dannaca · Rating 4 out of 5]

We read this for Egg Storytime. I like the illustrations. It's not really a story, but it has two sentences that rhyme before turning the page reveals what hatches from the various eggs. It's a wide variety, everything from robins, to crocodiles, to a platypus.

[Peacegal · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very cool, handmade-style illustrations.

[Diane · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wonderful illustrations and content. I love the holes (eggs) cut into the images. My favorite is the crocodile. Clever, creative and charming.

[Miss Sarah · Rating 3 out of 5]

A simple toddler and up book where different eggs are show and the reader is asked to guest what type of animal it is. Nice nonfiction companion at end about the eggs.

[Shanaz · Rating 5 out of 5]

I just read this to my youngest son and he loved it! Gorgeous book that I will treasure and pass down to my grandchildren one day. (Also great as a birthday or baby shower gift)

[Christine Grant · Rating 4 out of 5]

Guess game about which animals hatch from which eggs. Variety of animals appear in this book including a platypus. Information about animals appear in the back.

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[Jessica · Rating 4 out of 5]

Lovely early childhood book about oviparous animals.

[Julia · Rating 4 out of 5]

Cute board book with rhyming pictures of eggs with a couple clues and a reveal of what hatched out of the eggs on the next page.

[Kristin Nelson · Rating 4 out of 5]

A wonderful book of oviparous animals. My Pre-K group liked predicting whose egg it was. I liked the extra facts included in the back, giving details about each animal's incubation.

[Morgan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Cute illustrations

[Eliot Reads · Rating 5 out of 5]

LOVE!

[Tasha · Rating 5 out of 5]

This simple little book builds tension through the use of a guessing game and the wonder of waiting for an egg to hatch. On one page, the habitat and a little description of the eggs are given, with the question of “What will hatch?” Take a guess, turn the page and find out the answer. There are lots of surprises along the way. The clever use of die cuts in the pages that peek through in egg-shaped holes adds to the fun.

Eight different animals are shown here with basic information. Nicely, there is more information at the end on each of the animals as well as information on chicken egg development. Ward’s text is particularly simple, just a few phrases with a skip of repetition. It is the illustrations here that really make the book. Done in gouache on wood, the images have a lovely texture to them that combines beautifully with the swirling nature of the art. The texture also reinforces the natural subject matter in a subtle way.

A great pick for toddlers, this book will keep them guessing as the pages turn. Expect to have to share it again and again. Appropriate for ages 2-4.

[Jim Erekson · Rating 3 out of 5]

Ward's sense of rhythm for this rhyming text was pretty good. I didn't need it to rhyme, but not having it be that same sing-songy cadence showed some skill and control on her part.

The painted-on-wood illustrations were beautiful to look at with the texture showing through, and Ghahremani's design sense. She actually gets the design credit for the book in the front matter.

The cutouts were fun, but not as meaningful as in some other books, so I would say Ghahremani just wanted to try it. In a book like Night Light each cutout was central to what I needed to pay attention to and comprehend. Playful features like cutouts or pop-ups shouldn't be there just because we can.

I was so hoping to see her use 'taglion' and 'aerus' in this book, but no dice ;(

[Cemeread · Rating 3 out of 5]

Illustrations showing the environment and the nest will give readers a clue to what animal will hatch. Each nest has at least one die cut egg, but some are easier to spot than others just as some animals will be guessed immediately and others are more difficult. (bird, frog, platypus) The book has simple text with just a few words before the refrain, "What will hatch?" and a few before the animal's name. The end pages include information about the time in egg, where the nest is located, how many siblings, and what the mother does after laying eggs for each of the animals. A great opportunity to bring in a non-fiction book as well. I love the texture of the wood showing through the paint. Lovely illustrations.

[Barbara · Rating 4 out of 5]

With gouache artwork on wood featuring die-cuts the size of various eggs, this engaging book teaches young readers about birth. From a "sandy ball" (unpaged) emerge sea turtles while robins emerge from an egg that is "oval, blue" (unpaged). The rhyming text and the repetitive question piques readers' interest as they wonder exactly what is going to emerge from those seven different eggs. Back matter includes a page describing oviparous animals with information about how long each animal spends in its egg. This terrific title belongs in a collection about science or eggs.