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k_lee_reads_it's review against another edition
3.0
I read this as a read aloud with my younger boys. We all really enjoyed it.
cheryl6of8's review against another edition
4.0
A lovely story about an unexpected event and a boy's devotion to an unusual pet. The story was written in the 1950s and made into a film in the 1960s. Sadly the main cultural change I detected was that traffic on the National Mall never stops, so Nate would have a lot of witnesses if he tried to walk Uncle Beasley now. The politicians still have their heads up their butts. People are still desperate to exploit the unusual for an edge in business. Hopefully the tendency to be stirred to actiob by the thought of losing something has not been lost, in light of the leaked decision to overturn womens rights to bodily autonomy.
trike's review against another edition
5.0
I loved, loved, loved this book as a boy. The triceratops was (and still is) my favorite dino, and I first read this book on the family farm I stayed at every summer. My primary chore back then was to take care of the chickens, so the idea that a chicken would lay an egg that would hatch a triceratops felt like it was written just for me.
It is, of course, patently ridiculous, but Triceratops is technically a member of the ornithischian (“bird-hipped”) branch of dinosaurs, which is no doubt where Butterworth got the idea. Now, of course, we know that birds are descended from dinosaurs, but they are confusingly (and somewhat ironically) descended from the saurischian, or “reptile-hipped”, dinos. A more accurate version of this story would therefore have the chicken egg hatch a tiny T. rex or velociraptor. 🦖
I. Don’t. Care.
I want a triceratops to ride around on. 😄
It is, of course, patently ridiculous, but Triceratops is technically a member of the ornithischian (“bird-hipped”) branch of dinosaurs, which is no doubt where Butterworth got the idea. Now, of course, we know that birds are descended from dinosaurs, but they are confusingly (and somewhat ironically) descended from the saurischian, or “reptile-hipped”, dinos. A more accurate version of this story would therefore have the chicken egg hatch a tiny T. rex or velociraptor. 🦖
I. Don’t. Care.
I want a triceratops to ride around on. 😄
mslibrarynerd's review against another edition
1.0
This is not one of those classics that stands the test of time. It is full of weird gender stuff (girls do not like dinosaurs, only want to become telephone operators or homemakers) and old white scientists who smoke too much. The premise seems interesting, but the story is boring, takes too long to go anywhere and while the idea of a dinosaur is neat, there is no emotional attachment to the creature by Nate, only a sense of entitled ownership. I quit. boo.
lisaarnsdorf's review against another edition
5.0
Fun to reread a childhood favorite! The "vintage-y" language makes the story just that much more fun. How fun to imagine a backyard chicken hatching a dinosaur!
slimikin's review against another edition
4.0
This is the first chapter book I read entirely on my own and the reason Triceratops is my favorite dinosaur. Mostly what I remember about the book is how small the font size was...and that I learned the word "determined" wasn't pronounced "deh-tuhr-MYND." Important milestone in a young reader's life, that.
heatherdmoore's review
4.0
Quick read aloud with my 12 year old. This was solid fun and sparked a lot more conversation than I anticipated. The outdated gender roles and general science-y feelings of the 50’s vs today presented great moments to stop and discuss.
bookworm_baggins's review
4.0
Read aloud to Emma. This was a silly and fun book. It wasn't the highest quality literature but I did enjoy the ending. Emma picked up on the bravery and perseverance of the main character as well.
kslhersam's review
3.0
My son and I enjoyed this at first, but then it got a bit long. The idea was fun, but it took us quite a while to finish it.
vermidian's review
3.0
The Enormous Egg is a story about a little boy who notices one of the hens in their parents chicken coop is abnormally large. Soon after, the hen lays an enormous egg! Nate vows to care for the egg, turning it and making sure everything is good. But when it hatches, it isn't a chicken. It's not even a bird. In fact, it's a baby triceratops! From there, he's guided by paleontologist Dr. Zeimer, who helps him make some of the bigger decisions as his dinosaur got larger and larger.
My only complaint is how comical some of the adults in the story seem. Particularly in the case of the beer mogul and the senator, both are absurdly ridiculous in how they approach Uncle Beasley. One wants to use and abuse it - which I'm not sure but that might actually be realistic given the laws regarding animal cruelty of the time - while the other is just simply bizarre. I mean, who looks at a miraculously born dinosaur and worries about the cost of the alfalfa that it would take to feed it at the zoo. His priorities were just so bizarre that it wasn't believable to me.
Other than that, I think it's a very good book. Odd and not tremendously accurate in terms of scientific accuracy, but a fun read all the same.
My only complaint is how comical some of the adults in the story seem. Particularly in the case of the beer mogul and the senator, both are absurdly ridiculous in how they approach Uncle Beasley. One wants to use and abuse it - which I'm not sure but that might actually be realistic given the laws regarding animal cruelty of the time - while the other is just simply bizarre. I mean, who looks at a miraculously born dinosaur and worries about the cost of the alfalfa that it would take to feed it at the zoo. His priorities were just so bizarre that it wasn't believable to me.
Other than that, I think it's a very good book. Odd and not tremendously accurate in terms of scientific accuracy, but a fun read all the same.