WHAT'S HATCHING OUT OF THAT EGG?

In this look at eleven baby animals which hatch out of eggs, photo-sequences may begin with an egg or a nest or an egg sac, then proceed through hatching and beyond, ending with some sort of view of the adult. For each animal, Lauber's text may tell something of parental preparation and embryonic and early development, with bits of information about the species in general--ostrich, alligator, spider, frog, octopus, penguin, salmon, turtle, butterfly, python, or platypus. The difference here is that the pictures and information are presented in the form of a guessing game, with the animals' identity given last--a device that encourages close attention, especially as the clues are by no means giveaways. The photos (from different sources) show what they do show clearly, and there is enough variety among the animals and among the photographers' approaches so that similar processes don't become repetitious. An oversized eye-catcher that proves to be a mind-prodder as well.