How to Hatch: A Gosling’s Guide to Breaking Free

In an exhilarating read that’s part nature documentary and part pep rally, Ackerman (Not Just the Driver!) and Bernstein (Santa Claws) take readers along as a goose embryo curled up inside an egg begins the laborious process of hatching. Gouache-like digital spreads provide detailed cutaway views of the egg from multiple angles—in one sweetly comical scene, the developing bird’s tiny webbed feet are drawn up to its face. Play-by-play narration takes readers through the steps, alternating between sportscaster-style excitement (“WE HAVE A BEAK!”) and practical tips (“Wing it! Use your wings to help you turn”), while boxed text provides additional facts (“If a gosling embryo takes too long to hatch, it might run out of energy”). The gosling emerges looking wet and worse for wear but utterly endearing, and soon transforms into a fluffy bird that’s “healthy, happy, hatched.” Whether accompanying a classroom project or read independently, the book will have readers cheering as they learn—and maybe thinking about their own arrival into the world, too. Back matter includes an author’s note. Ages 3–7. Illustrator’s agent: Anne Moore Armstrong, Bright Agency. (Jan.)