Four eggs: one pink, one yellow, one blue, one green. Three of them crack. Three of them hatch. (“Surprise!”) Three small birds, one pink, one yellow, one blue, wait, listen, and peck and peck and peck at the green egg until “Surprise!” It’s a green … crocodile? The startled birds fly off. The crocodile is alone, and lonely, and sad, but not for long. The birds return, a friendship is formed, and they eventually head off into the coral … sunset? The simplicity of this elegant, satisfying picture book is deceptive. The sophisticated combination of full-page and panel illustrations to convey passage of time and intensity of action is marvelous, while the combination of predictability and surprise offers comfort but is also sure to inspire smiles. Brown ink and watercolor were used to create the soothing but never static illustrations in which there is the promise of possibility on every page. (Ages 2-6)