The Great Eggscape

In this bad-food-pun extravaganza, two eggs named Benedict and Aggie (she's a "hard-boiled type") scheme to break out of a box of a dozen dyed Easter eggs. The Bonnie and Clyde of the refrigerator set, the two set about wreaking havoc among the fruits and vegetables. "They mashed the potatoes, stalked the celery, and tossed the salad." A chocolate chip cookie takes on the miscreants ("Isn't this eggs-citing, honey?" a nearby sugar bowl remarks to a bear-shaped squeeze bottle), traps Benedict and Aggie under a bowl, and puts them "safely behind bars"--candy bars, that is, who stand over the eggs with their hands on their hips (they'd be glaring, but they don't have any faces). Van Wright's lighthearted paintings kick this already entertaining entry up a notch. His vision of life in the rough-and-tumble world of egg crime features skillful drafting, believable textures, unexpected points of view, and dynamic use of space. Sequential panels and spreads keep the story moving. Several jokes require close inspection of the illustrations; the story is better suited for one-on-one read-aloud than classroom settings. Ages 5–10. (May)