Picture Book Monday with a review of Hank Finds an Egg

When I came across today's picture book for the first time I was completely captivated by the photos that fill the pages. There are no words in the book at all, and yet the story is rich and delightful. Readers of all ages will enjoy seeing what Hank does when he finds an egg.

Hank Finds an Egg
Rebecca Dudley
Picture Book
For ages 5 and up
Peter Pauper Press, 2013, 978-1-4413-1158-0
One day Hank is walking in the forest when he finds an egg lying on the ground. He picks up the egg and soon figures out that it must have fallen out of a nest that is resting on a branch in a nearby tree. Hank is determined to do what he can to put the egg back in its nest, but there is a problem; Hank is very small and the nest is high up in the tree.
   Hank rolls a log over to the tree to stand on, but he still cannot reach the nest. Next, he builds a little ladder, but the nest is still too high up. The moon starts to rise and so Hank makes himself a little bed out of leaves and lights a fire. When it is time to sleep, he tucks the egg under the leaves next to him so that is stays warm. Maybe, in the morning, he will figure out how to get the egg back into its nest.
   In this remarkable wordless picture book we meet a little woodland creature whose compassion and determination to do the right thing warms the heart. To tell Hank’s story the author made Hank out of fabric and then photographed him in his woodland world. The photographs are beautiful, and Hank’s loving and generous character shines through.