The Good Egg Book: Self Help for Kids

Inside: You’ll find a review of The Good Egg by Jory John, as well as lots of ways to extend the book, including a free 7-page printable.

The Good Egg book is such a brilliant story! It’s funny, timely, and is brought to life with the amazing illustrations of the oh-so-talented Pete Oswald, who also illustrated The Sad Little Fact.

https://amzn.to/36csH2O

Title: The Good Egg
Author: Jory John
Illustrator: Pete Oswald
Publishing: Harper, 2019
Themes: Self Care for Kids, Acceptance
Ages: 4-7

Synopsis:
A very good egg lives in an egg carton with 11 other not-so-good eggs. Life is tough for our little friend as he’s teased and ignored while trying very hard to get the other eggs to live up to his standards. Eventually he cracks under the pressure (literally!) and decides to leave the carton and stress behind. Happily, the Good Egg moves back home after learning the importance of self-care and acceptance of others.

Opening Lines:

Oh, hello! I was just rescuing this cat. Know why? Because I’m a good egg.

My Thoughts:
I think every classroom needs this book. It touches on some important issues in a fun, lighthearted way.

Kids will love the hilarious antics of the bad eggs, while teachers, parents, and some children will likely recognize themselves in the good egg. Doesn’t worrying about others, trying to make everything perfect, and neglecting to look after yourself sound awfully familiar?

The Good Egg is a clever and amusing book aimed at reminding us to be more accepting of others. In this day and age of quick and easy judgments and criticisms (I’m thinking of people hiding behind anonymous mean comments all over the internet) it’s a refreshing reminder to just chill: get your own “house in order” and don’t worry so much about others.

I love that the Good Egg is self-reflective and takes it upon himself to make some healthy choices. He gets out in nature, reads lots, writes, paints and de-stresses with yoga and bubble baths. It’s good to present these options to kids and encourage them to find their own calming practices.



You could also use The Good Egg to make a connection to tattling. Even though the Good Egg never tattle-tails, he IS overly concerned with everyone else’s behavior; just like the little kiddos who are always coming in after recess and lunch break with tattles about everyone and thing under the sun.

Hard to believe such a delightful book about some wacky eggs can deliver such a powerful punch!

Book Activities:

1. Study the Illustrations: Sometimes words don’t match actions. Look closely at the spread where the Good Egg describes all the good things he does. Do his words match the pictures?

2. Venn Diagram: Have the children complete a venn diagram with either words or pictures, comparing themselves to the Good Egg.

3. Story Structure. This book has a very clear beginning, middle, end. In the beginning the Good Egg lives a chaotic life with his egg carton buddies. Then the Good Egg leaves home for less stressful climes. Finally he returns home with a new and healthier attitude.

4. Writing About Self-Care: The Good Egg learns how to keep himself healthy. Brainstorm with your class the ways they can handle different stressors. Write on the chart “When I get angry I can…” and write a collaborative list of strategies. Repeat with “When I am sad I can …” etc. Then give your kids  this little booklet (egg-shaped cover and writing page with lines) to write about the ways they deal with a specific stress or unwanted emotion (i.e., fear, anger, sadness, loneliness, boredom, etc.).  I’ve included a blank egg for those children who prefer to draw.

5. More Self-Care Resources: Counselor Keri has lots of great resources.

6. Draw the Good Egg: Use the blank egg template I’ve provided and have your students draw and colour their favourite egg from the story. There’s also a colouring page of the Good Egg for those who just enjoy colouring 🙂

7. Good Egg Circle: Sit in a circle and pass around a plastic egg. When a child is holding the egg they can say, “I’m a good egg when ….”

8. Sometimes We’re Bad Eggs: Be sure to balance things out with a candid discussion about how we’re all occasionally “bad eggs”. And that’s okay because nobody’s perfect. The main thing is to recognize it’s okay to make a mistake as long as you try your hardest to make amends.

DOWNLOAD: 7-Page Good Egg Activity Book

Be sure to check out my other book reviews.

Happy Reading!
 

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