Meg and Mog - that witch/feline duo whose story began in the eponymous Meg and Mog - return, together with Owl, in this second witchy adventure from author Helen Nicoll and illustrator Jan Pieńkowski. As with the first tale, Meg's spell - meant, in this case, to produce eggs for a meal - backfires, producing three enormous, colorful eggs instead. When the eggs eventually hatch into dinosaurs, all sorts of crises, from the stegosaurus' depredations upon the cabbages, to the tyrannosaurus' evident hunger for Owl and his companions, ensue, and Meg must step in once again with her magic. But will her spell work this time...?

Published the same year as Meg and Mog (in 1972), Meg's Eggs boasts the same simple text and vivid illustrations, in bold primary and secondary colors, as its predecessor. The addition of dinosaurs - a perennial favorite with young readers - gives it added story appeal, while the format lends itself to beginning readers who are just getting going on their own. It is to them I would recommend this one, particularly if they enjoy witchy tales, or have a fondness for dinosaurs. ( )