Jennifer K. Mann's debut picture book, Two Speckled Eggs, is one she both wrote and illustrated. This lovely, quirky book shows that friendship can come from unexpected places. And speaking of friendship, I'm lucky that Jennifer is my friend and critique partner.
Ginger wants to invite all the girls in her class to her birthday party—except Lyla Browning. "Lyla Browning was weird: she smelled like old leaves, she didn't talk much, and she even brought a tarantula in a pickle jar for Show-and-Tell."
But Mom says Ginger has to invite all the girls, or none of them. Lyla arrives at the party early and brings a plain, brown box. The other girls show up, and the party begins! But it’s not the fun party Ginger expected.
The other girls create chaos, wreck the party games, and don’t like Ginger's silver-and-gold birthday cake.
Meanwhile, Lyla is exploring the house with her magnifying glass. When a ladybug lands on Ginger’s nose, she laughs. Lyla does, too. And when Ginger opens Lyla’s gift in the plain, brown box, it’s something special that none of the other girls would have thought of.
Have you found a friend in an unexpected way? Or do you have a special friend? Write about him or her. How and where did you meet? What does your friend like to do? What do you share?
Remember to include details. Did your friend bring a tarantula to Show-and-Tell? Or was there something else that made you think, I like this person!
Two Speckled Eggs shows how being a little bit different can lead to wonderful things. It also celebrates friendship.
Which special friend will you write about?
