A new ‘egg’cellent book

Anyone looking for a book to read to their kids or grandkids this summer should pick up the new educational children’s book by local resident Kim Feliciano. “Edna the Egg” is the Patchogue-raised and Mastic Beach resident Feliciano’s first published book.

The children’s tale tells the story of Edna the egg as she teaches readers what is happening to her as she grows inside her egg. Readers can follow her journey from when she “is a teeny spot inside the egg until the day she will make her grand entry into the world.”

Feliciano, an educator at Suffolk County Farm, said she was inspired by her grandchildren to write and publish this book.

“I wrote the book for children as a learning experience because they look at certain things and don’t even know about the thing,” Feliciano said. “They don’t know the difference between going into the supermarket and getting a fresh egg compared to when there’s a chick and a fertilized egg. And you have to get them when they’re little so that they can grasp it.”

Feliciano noted that she also wrote the book because her 8-year-old granddaughter enjoys writing and she wanted to show her that it’s possible.

“I did a few stories and then my one son said, ‘Mom, why don’t you just put this one out there’ because it’s educational and the kids liked it, so I did,” Feliciano said. 

Feliciano recently went to her grandson’s second-grade class in Massapequa, where she said she got a great response to the book from kids and teachers.

“The teacher I was with liked it so much that she is going to contact the PTA to do the genre for the 5- to 7-year-olds because it’s educational for them,” Feliciano said.

Feliciano said that she sees writing as a great hobby for her and in addition to children’s stories, she also writes poetry in her spare time. Feliciano also noted that she enjoys reading, especially nonfiction. She has been an educator for over 30 years and began when her second son went to preschool and she volunteered at the school. She later became a teacher at the preschool for 12 years before leaving to stay home with her last child for a few years. She came back to being an educator when she began working at the Suffolk County Farm.

“I think it’s important for children to read early because if they see you reading, they’re going to read, and that’s important,” Feliciano said.

“Edna the Egg” was released on May 31 through Austin Macauley Publishers and is available for purchase on Amazon as well as the Barnes and Noble website. The book retails at $24.95 for a hardback, $10.95 for a paperback, and $4.50 for an e-book.