The Hatching How

by Bette Killion

Hey, soft fluffy chicken, can you tell

How you ever broke out of your shell?

I know!

Though you are small and still a bit weak,

You pecked with the hatching tooth on your beak.

It’s sharp and strong and helped you crack through.

Now the tooth will drop off in a day or two.

All birds hatch this same way too!

A crocodile has a hatching spike

That grows on the end of his snout.

Baby snakes and lizards too

Have spikes to help them out.

But on an insect’s eggshell

There’s a slightly weakened place

That pops out when it’s pressed

Like a door or window space

And lets the baby bug come through

Into the springtime sun.

Now if you’ve ever wondered—

That’s how the hatching’s done!

Illustrated by Beverly Johnston