How to Hatch
A Gosling’s Guide to Breaking Free
written by Sara Holly Ackerman
illustrated by Galia Bernstein
Alfred A. Knopf, 2026. 32 pages.
Review written February 6, 2026, from a library book.
Starred Review
I was a Hatch before I became an Eklund, so books with my former name in the title always catch my eye. When I sat down to read this book, I was completely delighted.
This straightforward nonfiction picture book shows the steps of a gosling hatching simply and clearly, with large and engaging illustrations.
Endpapers at the front (frontpapers?) show two geese building a nest, and the title page shows the mother goose smiling and revealing eggs beneath her. Then as the main book starts, we’re focused in on what’s going on inside a single gosling’s egg.
I like children’s books where I learn something. The very first step is something I hadn’t known. The main text, addressed to the gosling, goes like this:
Step One: BREATHE!
First you need to prick the air cell.
Aim your egg tooth. Jab. Inhale.Ahhhhh. If that feels good, you won’t believe how much air is on the other side of the shell.
But that’s for another day.
The sidebar gives more detail (still simple and clear), explaining about the pipping muscle at the back of the gosling’s neck that starts twitching, about the egg tooth and the air cell, about how the embryo’s lungs start working – and that the embryo will need to rest after this, sometimes a whole day.
The rest of the pages follow this pattern – encouraging words telling the gosling what to do, with more detailed explanations on the side.
And we get the full story of what it takes to break out of an eggshell from the inside.
First you need a hole for air, then you need to turn and peck to open a way out. And lots and lots of resting in between.
And it’s all told about – so interesting – with a focus on what’s going on inside the egg. And ends up with adorable gosling pictures.
Many elementary school classrooms have egg hatching projects. This book will be a perfect accompaniment. It sticks to the topic, approaches it simply but full of facts, and shows the kid reader an amazing look inside an egg.
sarahollyackerman.com
dancingkangaroo.com
Find this review on Sonderbooks at: www.sonderbooks.com/Childrens_Nonfiction/how_to_hatch.html
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Disclaimer: I am a professional librarian, but the views expressed are solely my own, and in no way represent the official views of my employer or of any committee or group of which I am part.
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