Beautifully illustrated fantasy story about love and commitment.
Feature image credit: Allen & Unwin
Australian author Sophie Laguna has written many novels, children’s and picture books, receiving numerous commendations and awards. The Last Egg is her seventh picture book.
This is the story of a mother and father bird who one day discover an extra-large blue egg in their nest. Mother bird refuses to leave it alone, even after her own three eggs have hatched. As winter comes and they both have difficulty staying warm, they almost give up hope that it will ever hatch. Thankfully, help comes from a most unexpected source.
The beautiful illustrations by Jess Racklyeft, often spreading over two pages, are full of colour and manage to perfectly depict the love between the mother and father bird. The way they look at each other as the father bird cares for the mother bird is really heartwarming.
It is always a treat when the end pages have extra illustrations. The beginning pages are a prequal to this story as we see the two birds flying to a tree to prepare their nest.
The Last Egg is really a story about love and never giving up. Mother bird has made a commitment to hatching the egg, despite it not being hers, and father bird has made a commitment to feed and look after mother bird. This story was not what I expected. Halfway through it takes a completely different turn, moving from real to fantasy. This is a story which will definitely tug on the heartstrings.
Reviewed by Sue Mauger
The views expressed in this review belong to the author and not Glam Adelaide, its affiliates, or employees.
Distributed by: Allen & Unwin
Released: June 2025
RRP: $24.99
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