닭인 먼저일까요, 알이 먼저일까요? 개구리 올챙이 적 생각 못한다고 하는데, 올챙이가 어떻게 개구리가 될까요? 꽃이 씨앗을 품었을까요, 먼지만큼 작은 씨앗이 꽃이 되었을까요? 앞장과 뒷장을 교묘하게 엮어 이야기를 풀어나가는 이른바, Die-Cuts 구성의 백미인 Laura Vaccaro Seeger의 《First the Egg》입니다. 2008년 칼데콧 수상작으로 의성어와 의태어 그리고 반복되는 단어로 이해를 돕는, 말을 익히는 아이들에게 최고의 작품으로 꼽히는 작품이죠. Beginning with the die cut on the cover, which completes the title and hides a secret underneath, this delivers a string of delightful surprises as Seeger crisply explores the stages of development in the natural world and, then, how a story grows. Thickly textured backgrounds provide visual energy for minimalist images that cleverly incorporate additional die cuts. “First the EGG,” reads the text on the opening spread, which pictures the egg through an appropriately shaped hole. When children flip the page, they’ll find a fuzzy chick and its adult counterpart—“then the CHICKEN.” So it goes through the life stages of frog, flower, and butterfly. Suddenly, Seeger turns away from nature. “First the WORD,” she writes, “then the STORY.” “First the PAINT . . . then the PICTURE,” accompanied by a painting that pulls the book together, showing chicken, flower, frog, and butterfly enjoying a beautiful day together. A funny finale sets up the book’s beginning. Pages are sturdy enough to support poking fingers and repeated viewings, both of which are guaranteed.