Title: The Last Egg
Author: Sofie Laguna
Illustrator: Jess Racklyeft
Publisher: Allen and Unwin
Publication date: June 3, 2025
Themes: Birds, parenting, trust, resilience, love, courage, commitment, honour, dragons, discovery, community
Comprehensive teachers’ notes are available on the Allen and Unwin website here
The Last Egg by Sofie Laguna, illustrated by Jess Racklyeft and published by Allen and Unwin is a captivating and heartwarming story about family, biological and non-biological, loyalty, a mother’s intuition, diversity, compassion, discovery, sacrifice and community.
Mother Bird spends her days protecting her three eggs in the nest, ensuring healthy chicks hatch, while Father Bird takes good care of Mother Bird. One morning, Mother Bird wakes and is astonished to discover an additional egg, larger than her three, in the nest. Without question she knows what she and Father Bird must do. This is now their egg.
The three chicks hatch and with their parents’ guidance learn survival skills. The cooler temperatures and changing seasons indicate it is nearly time for the chicks to migrate to warmer shores. However, the last egg has not yet hatched.
Mother Bird does not know when the egg will hatch, yet she is steadfast in her commitment to not abandon it. With this uncertainty comes trials, including saying goodbye to her precious chicks, assuring them she will reunite with them when the egg hatches and a bitterly cold winter she and Father Bird endure. Amidst this challenging time when despair and pessimism could have dominated, together Mother and Father Bird demonstrate hope, patience and unwavering commitment to each other and the last egg.
Readers will be delighted to witness the fourth egg hatching and surprised to see the addition the family. This new baby has its own skills and behaviours, while different to the birds, brings everyone together.
Jess Racklyeft’s imaginative, evocative, playful illustrations with touches of whimsy, capture the different seasons and passing of time with varied colour palettes to reflect spring, winter and summer. She superbly brings to life the bonds between the characters and the emotions they feel. Jess imaginatively uses colour to create suspense, drama and intrigue.
This is a book for all library collections which offers endless opportunities for discussions about family, acceptance, compassions, the spirt of community and strength in diversity.