Chicken or Egg: Who Comes First?

Taking on a classic question, friends/rivals Chicken and Egg compete in a footrace, golf and basketball games, and other pursuits. Melon + Mandarina, a Peruvian husband-and-wife illustration team, render the characters as bright, emotive ovals with fuzzy black outlines, while Miles and Sweet narrate in pithy rhyming bursts. “Ball. Tall! Too small,” complains Egg as Chicken dunks the ball. “Test. Best! Not impressed,” laments Chicken as Egg does better on an exam. As the friends learn to celebrate each other’s successes, the authors offer an empathetic message about how being first isn’t as important as being friends—and it’s more fun too. Ages 4–8. (Sept.)