The Egg that Disguised Itself

Dan Pagis, one of the most celebrated contemporary Hebrew poets, wrote and illustrated this playful book – a quest for identity bound to delight young children. Bored and lonely, the egg says to the ping-pong ball, “We are so much alike, both round and white. Would you like to roll with me?” But the ping-pong ball bounces away. When the balloon ignores it as well, the egg decides to disguise itself as something more interesting. A flower, a mushroom, a clock, a vase, even an oval drawing on a blackboard – the egg tries disguise after disguise but its “egginess” always shows. It seems fated to remain “nothing but an egg.”

Then the hen finds the egg. “I’ve been looking for you,” she says, “come and let me sit on you.” The egg finds itself in a warm dark place, underneath the hen. Soon it feels something stirring inside, a tiny chick pecking its way out. The egg has truly transformed itself, but without any costume, paint or pretence. It has become what it was meant to be. Written in a poetic style full of rhymes and puns, this is a moving tale about holding onto one’s identity while undergoing the transformations that growing up involves.