The Donkey Egg

by Janet Stevens, Susan Stevens Crummel

Featuring Bear and Hare from their Caldecott-Honor winning Tops & Bottoms , the Stevens sisters celebrate perseverance and teamwork in this laugh-out-loud story of triumph over trickery.

Bear would rather sleep all day than work on his farm, and Fox knows just the kind of help he needs — a donkey! When Fox tricks Bear into buying a donkey egg, Bear can't wait for it to hatch so he can meet his new friend. But donkeys don't come from eggs! And when the "egg" finally opens, Bear gets a fruity surprise. Luckily, Bear doesn't have to face disappointment alone . . . Hare is there to help!

Genres: Picture Books, Animals, Humor, Childrens, Fiction, Storytime, Friendship

48 pages, Hardcover

First published February 19, 2019

About the author

Janet Stevens began drawing as a child. Pictures decorated her walls, mirrors, furniture and school work -- including math assignments. While this didn't always sit well with her teachers, it was what she loved to do.

Janet’s father was in the Navy therefore she moved a great deal and attended many schools while growing up.

After graduating from high school in Hawaii in 1971 she landed a job creating Hawaiian designs for fabric. The printed fabric was then made into aloha shirts and muumuus. After she graduated from the University of Colorado in 1975 with a degree in Fine Arts Janet began compiling a portfolio of “characters”, bears in tutus, rhinos in sneakers, and walruses in Hawaiian shirts. In 1977, she attended “The Illustrator's Workshop” in New York City, where it was suggested that her characters might find a home in a children's book. Luckily for libraries (and children's book readers in general), publishers agreed and her first book was published in 1979.

Janet is the author and illustrator of many original stories and frequently collaborates with her sister, Susan Stevens Crummel. Her trademark humorous animals also accompany the texts by such authors as Eric Kimmel and Coleen Salley,

Janet has received numerous book awards, including a Caldecott Honor Award, Time Magazine’s Ten Best Children’s Books , the Wanda Gág Best Read-Aloud Book. Child Magazine’s Best Books of the Year.. Janet's books have been named ALA Notables and have repeatedly appeared on the New York Times Best Seller List.

She is particularly proud of her state book awards, voted on by children -- which include Arkansas, California, Colorado, Florida, Indiana, Kansas, Maine, Maryland, Missouri, New York, North Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Vermont, Virginia, Nebraska and Washington. Janet has received the prestigious Texas Bluebonnet Award twice.

Reviews

[Calista · Rating 3 out of 5]

Bear has lost motivation. His farm is in disrepair. Fox comes along and sells bear on a watermelon as a donkey egg. Bear is convinced this ‘egg’ will hatch into a donkey and it will help him with his farm. Hare is a neighbor that sees bear being silly with this egg/watermelon. The ending is a ‘making lemonade out of lemons’ situation I won’t spoil. The twist at the end is good.

There are boxes along the way that seem a little out of place and jarring that give how many seconds in a minute and how many minutes in an hour and so on up until a year. It’s informative, but it feels a little out of place in the story.

The nephew had fun with the story. He thought the bear sitting on the egg was hilarious or playing hide and seek with the egg. It cracked him up. He quoted Ron Weasley about the bear thinking the watermelon was a donkey egg. He said, “How thick can ya get?” Right from the movie. He gave this 3 stars.

[Manybooks · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have totally and absolutely enjoyed everything about Janet Stevens and and her sister Susan Stevens Crummel's brilliant The Donkey Egg (which might I guess be considered a sequel to Janet Stevens' Caldecott Honour winning Tops and Bottoms, but is in my opinion also totally a stand-alone type of story that just happens to feature the same Bear and Hare characters as in Tops and Bottoms).

I love how the authors continuously and seamlessly integrate and incorporate interesting and enlightening science and math factoids into their story, and how oh so sly and clever seeming Fox ends up being the one soundly and roundly tricked when Bear and Hare after growing their watermelons from the seeds of the reputed donkey egg of the title purchase a cute little baby donkey from the proceeds of the sold produce and then have Fox actually believe that the supposed donkey egg he gave to Bear did indeed hatch into a bona fide donkey foal (for while I have indeed always enjoyed so-called trickster tales, I actually even more appreciate storylines where tricksters get their own back, where the tricksters end up becoming the tricked). And yes, I also massively appreciate that Bear and Hare, although they are often grumpy, curmudgeonly and bickering are also first and foremost friends and allies (and that while Hare obviously and hilariously in The Donkey Egg is still obesseing regarding his lost race with Tortoise of The Tortoise and the Hare fame and of perhaps in a rematch finally winning the contest, when Bear decides to plant the watermelon seeds in order to hoodwink Fox, Hare decides that he would rather be helping his friend than continuing with and to quote him "a silly old race").

Combined with Janet Stevens' signature and expressively detailed, engagingly humorous illustrations (which do so totally capture the various mannerisms and expressions of particularly Bear and Hare), The Donkey Egg is a hilarious, engaging as well as educational celebration of cooperation, of friendship and yes, of presenting and showing that sometimes the tables can in fact and should definitely be turned on a trickster (and that there is also absolutely nothing wrong with giving the latter a taste of his or her own medicine either, that Fox kind of deserves being hoodwinked by Bear and Hare because it is he who started this all in the first place).

[Melki · Rating 4 out of 5]

That old trickster, Fox, has sold Bear a suspicious green egg. He promised that if Bear sat on the egg and kept it warm, a baby donkey would hatch, and Bear would have a helper for his farm.



This is a very clever book that manages to both entertain, AND educate.

[Michael Fitzgerald · Rating 2 out of 5]

A weak sequel to the excellent Tops & Bottoms. The story drags on and on and is largely composed of filler rather than substance. I have no idea why the author felt it necessary to include sidebars with pointless factoids about a minute, an hour, a day, a week, and a month. These just interrupt the story and clutter the pages.

The other problem I have is that this is a traditional folk tale (some say Korean, some say Hungarian!) but nowhere is this attributed or acknowledged.

[Carol V · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Donkey Egg is told in the style of a folktale. Fox tries to outsmart Bear by selling Bear a large green egg --a donkey egg. Hare, Bear's neighbor, stops by to check on him. Why is he sitting on the donkey egg, reading to it, and playing games with the egg? It is no surprise that the large green egg accidentally starts rolling down the hill as the story develops. Throughout the story, the author references a variety of fables and folktales. There are facts about time and speed throughout the book. Missed is the opportunity to include a fact page related to legends, countries and folktales. Nevertheless, the story is funny. It should make children laugh...especially when the green egg cracks open! In the end, who do you think is outsmarted...the fox, the hare, or the bear?

[Westminster Library · Rating 4 out of 5]

Beautifully illustrated and written by sisters Janet and Susan Stevens, The Donkey Egg is a fun read aloud with plenty of rhymes and laughs and trickery along the way! I loved the dialogue between the animal friends whether helpful or sarcastic, it was all good natured! Every few pages are some great "Did You Know" facts for kids are who ready for a little more math and science!

Find The Donkey Egg at Westminster Public Library today!

[Lin Lin]

Bear, old and lazy, does not want to farm his land. Fox knows what Bear needs to grow his farm. He brings Bear a donkey egg, which is actually a watermelon. With the seeds from the watermelon, Bear begins to work for his fruity harvest. An excellent read-aloud book for young readers with math and science content integration.

[Bethany · Rating 4 out of 5]

Favorite characters from Tops & Bottoms return for another reminder that work and diligence win the day! This time, fox tricks bear into buying a watermelon (or, uh, "donkey egg") to get his dilapidated farm back in order. It takes a year, but bear finally gets around to picking up his tools and making the farm shine again. And, surprisingly, there really is a donkey in the end.

The unusual inclusion of statistical facts pertaining to time was ... unusual. They were interesting, and they're a great conversation starter with young kids wondering exactly how long bear tried to hatch that watermelon donkey egg, but the story flows better without them.

[Beverly · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a great and funny story! The illustrations depict and go beyond the text in telling the story. I also appreciated the four inserts explaining minutes, hours, days, and weeks; these also added to the overall humor of the story. And I loved how the story turned the joke around on the fox. This would be a fun book to share with a group of children.

[Edward Sullivan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Bear and Hare from Tops & Bottoms return.

[Allison · Rating 2 out of 5]

There is just something that struck me as disturbing about a bear buying a donkey.

[Nadine in NY Jones · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a very cute and silly story about Fox who tricks Bear into buying a "donkey egg" that looks suspiciously like a watermelon. Bear meticulously follows Fox's directions to care for his egg over a period of time. Then the worst happens. Then the best happens. Then an even better thing happens. All goes well for Bear and his pal Hare (it's unclear, but it seems that Bear and Hare are neighbors, or possibly they live together - Hare is around a lot).

The pratfalls are amusing, but I never really laughed out loud. The text is an odd mixture of rhyming and not rhyming, so it was difficult for me to settle on a rhythm to read out loud.

Informational boxes on every other page tell us about time: how many seconds are in a minute, how many times do you blink in a minute, how many days are in a month and a year, how long does it take the earth to go around the sun ... that sort of thing. My daughter (who is 14 and knows all of those facts perfectly well, except maybe how many times a hummingbird beats its wings in a second) said those were annoying. I'm sure fact-obsessed little kids will love these asides, but other kids will possibly be bored.

[Maggie DeLong · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you’ve ever had a prank backfire, you’ll understand how the character Fox feels in Janet Stevens’s folklore story, The Donkey Egg. When Fox sells Bear a watermelon and tells him he’s a donkey egg, Bear goes above and beyond to take care of it and help it hatch. What Bear doesn’t know is that it’s not really a donkey egg; it’s just a regular watermelon. At the end of the story, though, Bear grows a watermelon farm and sells them so he can buy an actual donkey! The resolution of this story happens when Fox sees Bear with his donkey and ends up sitting on a watermelon, thinking maybe his will hatch. This funny story informs children that deceiving people is not a good idea, because it could end up hurting you instead.

[Relyn · Rating 5 out of 5]

Oh my gosh, I love this book! I had the time of my life reading this aloud to 15 different classes. It was always a hit. One of the best parts of my job as an elementary school librarian is reading aloud, and this book is AMAZING to read aloud. So fantastic.

[Colleen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very funny! My class and I loved it! I felt very sorry for Bear at first, but it resolved nicely.

[Caroline · Rating 3 out of 5]

A fun new spin on an old fable. Written and illustrated by the sister duo that first brought Bare and Hare to life, in "Tops and Bottoms"

There are "fun facts" about time throughout the book.
*a little long for our regular readings, and a tad confusing for 2 year old. This could be a really fun one with older kids and as a read aloud.

[Pam · Rating 3 out of 5]

Fox tricks bear into buying a donkey egg. He takes care of it and nurtures it. Hare stops by as he's training for a rematch with Tortoise. Taking care of the egg brings Bear back to life from lazing away his days. One day, it rolls away and smashes. As the readers have known all along, Bear discovers it's a watermelon. He takes the seeds, plants them and grows watermelon; Hare helps. They sell the watermelons and buy a donkey. Love the ending with fox sitting on a watermelon "egg."
Information boxes throughout that share facts about time.

[Shaye Miller · Rating 4 out of 5]

I first met Susan Stevens Crummel back in 2002 when I was teaching 2nd grade in Texas. She spoke in our school library and, afterward, signed my copies of My Big Dog and Cook-a-Doodle-Doo! on that day. So how COOL that she (and her sister) are still publishing beloved picture books in 2019!

In The Donkey Egg, fox has tricked bear into buying his donkey egg. Bear sits on the egg, keeping it warm and preparing it for hatching until one day when it rolls away and smashes open. What he finds inside is not what he expected, but he discovers a way to use it to get what he really wanted. In the end, it’s a cute story of “making lemonade out of lemons.” Every few pages of the story is a boxed-off section for “Did You Know?” with interesting mathematical and scientific facts that relate to the story.

Some people may say this is a sequel to Tops and Bottom, but whether it is or not, we at least see the same characters. The adorable illustrations in this book were done in mixed media.

For more children's literature, middle grade literature, and YA literature reviews, feel free to visit my personal blog at The Miller Memo!

[Diane · Rating 4 out of 5]

All Bear wants to do is sleep in his chair. He doesn’t have time for his farm, which is a wreck. All hare wants to do is win a rematch with the tortoise. Then along comes Fox, who sells Bear a Donkey Egg. Once that Donkey hatches, think how much help he will be around the farm.

So while the Hare checks in on what's going on, Bear sits on the donkey egg, rocks the donkey egg, even tries to keep it happy by telling it fables. But it won’t hatch. “He sang. He sat. He rocked. He played. He loved the Egg with all his heart.” Finally, Bear gets so tired that he falls asleep on the egg and it rolls out from under him and down the hill. Both Bear and Hare give chase. When the egg crashes to a halt, it breaks open. And what do they find? Seeds. But believe it or not, Bear still ends up with a Donkey.

Cute story. The author adds information in about seconds, minutes, hours, days, etc., to put time in perspective as the Bear waits for the egg to hatch.

[Debra · Rating 4 out of 5]

Amazing art with a delightful story to boot. Poor, old bear, he is sleeping his life away with no inclination to do any work. Along comes Fox and convinces him that if he hatches the donkey egg he is selling he will have the help he needs to work the farm. Well, we all know that anything Fox is selling is suspect. (I wonder how long it will be before your kids will figure out what the donkey egg is.) Bear takes on the charge to keep the egg warm - night and day, hot and cold, and even begins rocking it, singing to it and playing with it. But no donkey emerges. Then Bear falls asleep while he is sitting on the egg and .... away it goes.
I just loved the twist and appreciated that Hare turned out to be a real friend, sticking by Bear when he needed help.

[Jana · Rating 4 out of 5]

This charming picture book uses familiar characters and awesome mixed media artwork to tell a sweet story about commitment and friendship. Bear is tired and grumpy all the time, and so would rather nap in his porch chair than tend to his work around his house and on his farm. Fox, who is very tricky, takes advantage of Bear's naivete and sells him a huge donkey egg with the promise of a helpful friend once it hatches. And Hare, from the Tortoise and Hare fame, sees that Bear has been tricked into buying a watermelon, but is supportive of his friend. I like how Hare helps Bear clean-up and fix-up around the house and then helps Bear find a solution when Fox's trickery becomes apparent. This would be a good read aloud for younger kids and a great way to talk about being a good friend.

[Martha · Rating 4 out of 5]

Once again the sister team of Janet Stevens and Susan Stevens Crummel create another wondrous fable with a clever twist. The mixed media illustrations are so marvelously rendered the colorful sparcely dressed characters almost pop out of the book. Similar to their fable Tops & Bottoms, Bear is an easy mark to fool because he DOES love to sit and relax. In this tale Bear ends up with exactly what he needs, and a friend, hyper Rabbit to help him succeed. As bear awaits his watermelon (he's told and believes it's a donkey egg) to hatch, time boxes with "Did You Know?" facts are listed for a minute, hour, day, week, and month which leads to a year. The time boxes would fit in perfectly with a unit about telling time. This a delightful tale that can't be read without a smile.

[Jeannie · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a delightful tale that will be a great read aloud for both listeners and adult readers. Bear, Hare and Fox make a reappearance from Tops amd Bottoms. True to their original characters Bear is a bit lazy, Hare is hyper and Fox is as sly as ever. Bear actually believes that Fox's watermelon is a donkey egg and a donkey will be just the animal to help him out on his farm. (Much to the delight of the listeners!) After much coddling of the precious egg, Bear learns the truth but he and Hare make the best of it and in the end there is a donkey. Along the way listeners and reader learn a bit about time in the "Did You Know " sections. These seem to fall naturally within the story. The illustrations beautifully bring animation to the words.

[Raven Black · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read the description of this a few days before reading the book. It sounded horrible. If I found the book, I was going to read it, but was not going to go out of my way to look for it. However, when I found it, I was surprised. I don't know why I liked the fact that Fox tricks Bear (I am not one for pranks) but there was something charming about it. The illustrations are Crummel's signature style.

[Meredith · Rating 1 out of 5]

Did not like the story. Or the text, which sometimes rhymed and sometimes did not. Did like the facts about timeframes, like: "You blink your eye over 1,000 times in an hour." sf "Kids laugh about 300 times in one day. Grownups only laugh 17 times." (would like to see the source for this ...)

Finally, the bear buying a donkey to work his field smacked of a trip to the slave market. I mean, I know it's just a story, but ew.

[Kifflie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Bear is grumpy and tired and doesn't have the energy to farm his land. Fox comes along with a clever deal -- he will sell Bear an egg that will hatch into a donkey who can help out! Bear isn't sure at first, but then he gets into taking care of the "egg" for months and months, until an accident reveals it to be -- something else. Bear is upset that Fox tricked him, but with Hare's help, finds a way to make it all work out.

Very clever story with crisp illustrations.

[Laura Giessler · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this book and think kids will too, especially if they are familiar with Tops & Bottoms (and even To Market To Market). The same strong, rollicking voice comes through in the text, and the illustrations are also delightful, especially Bear's expressions. Everything works for me except the "Did You Know?" insets about a second, minute, hour, etc.--for me, they just interrupted the flow of a great story.

[Alyssa Gudenburr · Rating 5 out of 5]

A very cute story that reads like a fable, about a bear who buys a donkey egg from a fox. The bear spends a long time taking care of the egg, waiting for it to hatch. I really like all the facts about the different units of time; hour, day, week, month ect. It is a VERY long story, so it would be better for 2nd grade and up.

[Molly Cluff (Library!) · Rating 4 out of 5]

I felt like this book was too busy (all the fun facts about weeks, days, and minutes felt out of place to me). I liked the fable structure of it, and the comedy of a bear thinking the watermelon would hatch. Also it was funny at the end when they used the money from their watermelon patch to buy a donkey.

[Jessica · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fox deceives Bear, telling him that a watermelon is actually a donkey egg. Fox tells Bear that is he sits on the donkey egg like a mother bird on her nest, that it will eventually hatch and he will have a donkey companion. One day, when the donkey egg rolls away, hits an obstacle, and bursts, Bear finally realizes that it was really a watermelon. Bear and Hare figure out a way to give Fox a taste of his own medicine.

Teaching points: tricksters, moral of the story, fables, time, character analysis, theme, 2021 NCCBA finalist
NCCBA activities

Suggested grade level: 3-6

Location:
LES library
NC Kids Digital Library (ebook-Libby app)

Related reads:
Tops & Bottoms & The Tortoise and the Hare: An Aesop Fable by Janet Stevens
Except If by Jim Averbeck
The Odd Egg by Emily Gravett