The Good Egg

I’ll admit: I side-eyed this at first. Another ‘be yourself’ book? But *The Good Egg* surprised me by being *funny*—like, actually funny, not just ‘cute.’ The premise is simple: an egg who’s *too* good (he folds origami, helps old ladies cross the street, *alphabetizes the spice rack*) starts to fracture from the stress of holding his chaotic egg family together. The genius is in the details: the way the ‘bad’ eggs are just vibing (one’s literally named ‘Frank,’ no last name, because he’s *that* guy), or how the good egg’s breakdown involves him *literally* cracking up. It’s a perfect metaphor for kid burnout, and the resolution—spoiler: it’s not ‘just try harder’—feels earned. Dan Bittner’s performance sells it. His delivery as the good egg is a mix of exhausted fastidiousness and creeping despair, like a toddler channeling a midlife crisis. The supporting eggs are broad but distinct—Frank’s lazy drawl, the hyperactive squeaks of the ‘crazy’ egg—without veering into grating. My only critique? The sound design, while clever (the *plink* of a falling shell fragment), occasionally overpowers Bittner’s quieter lines. And at six minutes, it’s over before you want it to be… but that’s also why I’ve replayed it five times. It’s the audiobook equivalent of a perfect snack: small, satisfying, and leaving you weirdly emotional about an egg.