| First the Egg | |
| Author: | Laura Vaccaro Seeger |
| Illustrator: | Laura Vaccaro Seeger |
| Cover Artist: | Seeger |
| Country: | United States |
| Language: | English |
| Genre: | Children's fiction, picture book |
| Publisher: | Roaring Brook Press |
| Release Date: | September 4, 2007 |
| Awards: | Caldecott Honor Book |
| Isbn: | 9781596432727 |
First the Egg is a New York Times bestselling children's picture book written and illustrated by Laura Vaccaro Seeger, published by Roaring Book Press in 2007.[1] It was a Caldecott Honor Book in 2008[2] and also appeared on the New York Times Best Illustrated Children's Books list[3] and the American Library Association Notable Children's Books list.[4]
The book comprises a series of die-cut pages that convey various forms of transformation. Seeger uses word play and alters the composition of the illustrations between cut-outs to create unexpected relationships among basic concepts such as time, opposites, and colors.[5] In 2009, the company Weston Woods Studios, Inc. made a version of the book, narrated by Elle Fanning, with music by Jack Sundrud and Rusty Young.
Publishers Weekly described First the Egg as "another nimble page-turner...",[6] and Inis magazine called it "whimsical and bold..."[7]