Celebrate Easter, 2006
The following reviews were presented in our 2006 Easter feature.
Reviews
At Jerusalem's Gate: Poems of Easter
Nikki Grimes
Woodcuts by David Frampton
Grimes sets each of her deeply devout and emotionally stirring poems in the context of the story of Easter; from Christ's arrival at the gates of Jerusalem through the Last Supper, the trial, the Crucifixion, and the Resurrection. Different voices recount different parts of the tale as eyewitnesses to the horror and the miracle in this perfect accompaniment to the reverence of the Easter season. Frampton has chosen not to depict the bloody events graphically. Rather his color woodcuts focus on the spirituality of the action as framed by these eyewitnesses. Symbols and stylized portraits are created in ways to suggest Byzantine art, with strong black lines, large eyes, conventionalized gestures, hints of historic dress and architecture, and muted, flat colors. Notes add information on each poem and location of the Bible reference. 2005, Eerdmans Books for Young Readers, $20.00. Ages 4 up. Reviewers: Ken Marantz and Sylvia Marantz (Children's Literature).
Best Books:
Kirkus Book Review Stars, January 1, 2005; United States
Middle and Junior High School Library Catalog, Ninth Edition, 2005; H.W. Wilson; United States
Top 10 Religion Books for Youth, 2005; American Library Association-Booklist; United States
ISBN: 0-8028-5183-5
Christian Stories
Anita Ganeri
Illustrations by Rachael Phillips
Nine stories found in the New Testament are retold: among others, "The Birth of Jesus," "The Good Samaritan," "The Prodigal Son," and "The Story of Easter." The dramatic material of these stories is rendered dull and lifeless in this retelling In the story, "Calming the Storm," we read, "Many of the disciples were hardy fishermen They were used to storms and had seen many of them before, but they had never known anything as bad as this Now they were frightened for their lives, sure that they were going to drown." The illustrations portray Jesus as ascetic and fully human Bright watercolor illustrations and sidebars with small, current day photographs add interest to the text Each sidebar asks the question "Did you know?" and gives further facts or interpretation There is a glossary, lists to learn more, and an index This is one of the "Traditional Religious Tales" series Libraries will find more exciting literature elsewhere. 2006 (orig 2001), Picture Window Books, Ages 8 to 12, $17.95. Reviewer: Carlee Hallman (Children's Literature).
ISBN: 1-4048-1312-8
Easter
Aaron Frisch
The Christian story of Easter is simply told here. After Jesus' death on the cross, "Christians believe Jesus came back to life three days later on Easter." Since the celebration of Easter is about new life and comes in spring, it is associated with blooming flowers and new-born animals such as bunnies and chicks. Churches decorate with white Easter lilies. Children look for Easter candy hidden by the Easter Bunny or parents. Directions are given for making Easter eggs using hard-boiled eggs and crayons. A contest with friends or family for best Easter egg is suggested. Large print and appropriate sub-titles are used. Colorful photographs of a stained glass window, flowers, a bunny in a basket, and eggs will attract children into the text. There is a short index, a glossary, and a list of books and web sites for further information. This title is part of the "My First Look at Holidays" series. 2006, Creative Education, $22.80. Ages 5 to 8. Reviewer: Carlee Hallman (Children's Literature).
ISBN: 1-5834-1367-7
Easter Fun
Michelle Knudsen
Illustrated by Tom Starace
Easter Fun does not present anything about the holiday from the religious side It focuses on getting springtime, candy in the shape of a chocolate bunny and painted and dyed Easter eggs The kids are having fun, but the significance of the symbols and the reason for celebrating will have to be learned elsewhere The shiny foil cover is attractive and the book has an oval shape just like and Easter egg It will make a nice gift tucked into an Easter basket. 2006, Little Simon/Simon & Schuster, Ages 6 mo to 3, $4.99.
Reviewer: Marilyn Courtot (Children's Literature).
ISBN: 978-0-689-87894-7
ISBN: 0-689-87894-X
The Great Easter Egg Hunt
Michael Garland
Take an adventurous, delightfully, entertaining trip with Tommy when he follows notes written by his Aunt Jeanne as he goes on an exclusive Easter egg hunt. The reader will join Tommy on his unique adventures and will hunt for eggs, bunnies, bonnets, chicks, lambs, words and letters throughout the book. The vivid illustrations are fantastic. The reader will be enthralled by page after page as she/he looks for each treasure. One could literally spend hours of fun going through this book time and time again. The author has cleverly made this story into an interactive book. The reader gets involved in the story looking for the same things as Tommy. Happiness, joy, and glee will fill children as they search and find the goodies on each page and they will want to read this book more than once. 2005, Dutton Children's Books/Penguin Young Readers Group, $15.99. Ages 5 to 9. Reviewer: Cathi I. White (Children's Literature).
ISBN: 0-525-47357-2
Happy Easter Eggs
Joan Holub
Eggs with personality, who would have guessed? These are happy eggs, all dressed and decorated with plenty of shiny stripes, stars and spots. They act like kids as they march around and look for Easter treats. They even have baskets for their goodies. These must be a hardboiled bunch because they play games like hide-and-seek, have a spoon race, and roll down a hill but never seem to break. The closing scene shows them all snuggled in their baskets and the text reads "Happy Easter, eggs!" A slight holiday offering with more sparkle in the pictures than in the storyline. 2005, Little Simon/Simon & Schuster, $5.99. Ages 1 to 3. Reviewer: Marilyn Courtot (Children's Literature).
ISBN: 0-689-86476-0
Milo the Really Big Bunny
Stephen Krensky
Illustrated by Melissa Suber
Milo is a bunny, but he is different. He is big and purple and shaped somewhat like an egg with long, floppy ears. He doesn't fit in with the other bunnies because he not quick, his tail is not fluffy, he can't hop on either foot or dig tunnels and he doesn't nibble on his carrots and lettuce. One day, Milo sees a flyer announcing a contest. The winner will be the Easter Bunny's helper. Milo wants to win and impress the other bunnies. That idea doesn't work out too well for poor Milo. He tries to dye eggs and weave baskets but he can't seem to do anything right. Milo is so discouraged, he goes home and just stays in his bed. There is a big storm on Easter morning and it seems that only Milo can help the Easter Bunny. Milo is big enough to help him get through the rain and the wind to deliver all the Easter baskets. Milo saves the day and is accepted by all the other bunnies. 2006, Simon & Schuster, Ages 3 to 6, $14.95. Reviewer: Carolyn Mott Ford (Children's Literature).
ISBN: 0-689-87345-4
ISBN: 0-689-87345-X
Minerva Louise and the Colorful Eggs
Janet Morgan Stoeke
Pure, simple, unadulterated joy beams from the contented face of Minerva Louise as she settles on a "perfect nest" on the last page of this endearing celebration of spring and a lovely Easter Egg Hunt. If you have not yet met this charming example of pulchritudinous poultry, first cackle over this one and then seek out all of her other stories. Children will delight in the hen's confusion over things that are "normal" for them. Her antics in appraising the world will remind readers of Amelia Bedelia's confusion with words. In this title, Minerva Louise explores the barnyard on a beautiful spring day and discovers a number of unattended eggs-not only left alone but completely unusual in that they are all different colors. She concludes that some are so cold that they have even turned blue! The rest of the flock is still asleep in the coop but Minerva Louise rouses them to help her in taking care of all the abandoned eggs. Much to her dismay and the other hens' wonderment all of the eggs have disappeared, one is even "collected" right before their very eyes. Ahhh...they are used to humans collecting eggs so all is well with the world and Minerva Louise herself settles down in an Easter Basket filled with colorful eggs. The pleasure of sharing this with children is their joy in the sillyness of Minerva's lack of understanding and the clear illustrations that make it perfectly clear just exactly what is really going on-we get it even if our feathered friend doesn't. Stoeke's pure, simple style is just right for the young listeners and "grown-ups" will be beguiled by the endearing expressions on all of the participants. There's even a nice life lesson-when one sees a situation that needs attention, one must try to arrange the necessary help-compassion is definitely Minerva Louise's greatest strength. 2006, Dutton/Penguin, Ages 3 to 7, $15.99. Reviewer: Sheilah Egan (Children's Literature).
ISBN: 0-525-47633-4
On Easter Morning
Judy Zocchi
Illustrations by Rebecca Wallis
Young readers will get an overview of this Christian holiday through this title from the "Holiday Happenings" series. Facts such as the origin of this celebration, the ay the date is established, and the activities that take place are presented in this simple but informative text. The holiday's name is derived from the ancient goddess of springtime. The illustrations are simple and child-friendly. Readers are provided numerous facts about the special day, about character building traits, cultural connections, and a try-something-new activity on the last pages. Readers also have the opportunity to try a craft project where they can use their Easter- dyed eggs to create a mosaic. The straightforward text does an adequate job of providing a glimpse into this holiday when more than seven billion pounds of candy is consumed. This book is also available in English and Spanish for bilingual readers. 2005, dingles & company, Ages 6 to 9, $15.50.
Reviewer: Rosa Roberts (Children's Literature).
ISBN: 1-891997-41-6
On Easter Morning/La Mañana de Pascua
Judy Zocchi
Illustrations by Rebecca Wallis
Bilingual readers will read and discover things they probably did not know about Easter Day in this title from the "Holiday Happenings" series. In this English and Spanish selection, facts such as the origin of this celebration, the date it is celebrated, and the activities that take place are presented in this simple but informative text. The illustrations are appealing yet simple for children. The only drawback is that facts relating to the holiday, character building traits, cultural connections, and a try-something-new activity on the last pages, plus craft project where young readers use their Easter-dyed eggs to create a mosaic are only in English and should be presented in Spanish. A bilingual book should be consistent in its presentation. Nevertheless, this holiday celebration book does an adequate job of providing an overview about the day where more than seven billion pounds of candy is consumed. 2005, dingles & company, Ages 6 to 9, $15.50. Reviewer: Rosa Roberts (Children's Literature).
ISBN: 1-891997-42-4
Peter Cottontail Easter Fun Pack
This clear plastic basket with green handles holds a variety of goodies. There is a mini story book, a coloring book, stickers, crayons, stencils and holders for dyeing and decorating eggs. The very simple story lists the tasks that Peter Cottontail must oversee and do--the chocolates need to be carved, bonnets made and eggs delivered. After each task is depicted, the following page says "Hop, to it, Peter!" Not all kids will get the humor. The activity book is a variation on the same text, but is actually more complex and offers fifteen pictures to color. There are no instructions regarding the use of the stencils or stickers so parents and caregivers are on their own there. The basket has a locking baggie to keep the contents intact; after the Easter holiday, it might make a handy storage bag for the crayons, colored pencils and the rest. 2005, Golden Books, $7.99. Ages 3 to 5. Reviewer: Marilyn Courtot (Children's Literature).
ISBN: 0-375-82726-9
Peter Rabbit's Happy Easter
Grace Maccarone
Illustrated by David McPhail
If you ever wondered about what happened to Peter Rabbit or how the Easter Bunny came to be, Maccarone's story provides the answers. Peter was feeling pretty awful about disobeying his mother and losing his blue jacket. Peter wanted to do something to really impress his mother and to make her love him more than his perfect sisters (not a particularly good message there). As he was walking past the henhouses of his neighbors, Peter decided that there were more than enough eggs and appropriated some for himself. Pretty soon he had amassed a large number of eggs (I think that could be considered stealing) and when he takes them to his room, he accidentally spills paint all over them. Well, Peter is one lucky bunny, because the eggs do not break and they all turn out to be beautifully decorated (a bit of a stretch). His mother is impressed but tells Peter that he has to return the eggs which he does. The eggs are scattered about and in the morning the kids find lots of brightly painted eggs and it just happens to be Easter Sunday. Voila, Peter Rabbit has now become the Easter Bunny. 2006, Scholastic, Ages 2 to 5, $5.99. Reviewer: Marilyn Courtot (Children's Literature).
ISBN: 0-439-79139-1
Queen of Easter
Mary Engelbreit
Illustrations by Mary Englebreit
Ann Estelle wants her Easter hat to have ribbons and flowers so that she can be the queen of the neighborhood Easter parade. When her mother presents her with a "classic" straw hat with one blue ribbon, she tries to like it. However, she happens to leave it outside on the porch, where robins build a nest in it. That means she will have to wear last year's hat. But that gives her an idea to recapture her dream. The artist's easily recognized style will be appreciated by her fans. Besides the stylized illustrations, the pages are bordered by bright flowers, birds, Easter eggs, and hats. This is one of the "Ann Estelle Stories" series. Children will enjoy the simple, colorful pictures of Ann Estelle watching the birds hatch, working to achieve her goal, and taking part in the parade with its satisfying conclusion. 2006, HarperCollins Children's Books/HarperCollins Publishers, Ages 3 to 6, $15.99 and $16.89. Reviewer: Carlee Hallman (Children's Literature).
ISBN: 978-0-06-008185-0
ISBN: 0-06-008185-6
ISBN: 0-06-008184-8
Spring Peeps!
Cindy Eng
Illustrated by Salina Yoon
Kids who pick up this board book may want to try to stuff that fluffy yellow chick right into their mouths because it looks just like the marshmallow ones we used to eat The die cut book shows the chick on each page as it counts up to four and then down again The yellow chick makes friends with two butterflies, three bunnies and then four blue birds Turning the pages shows the groups gathering and then heading away leaving only one chick and the bright yellow sun Innocuous, but with some appeal for the little ones' Easter Baskets. 2006, Little Simon/Simon & Schuster, Ages 3 mo to 2, $5.99.
Reviewer: Marilyn Courtot (Children's Literature).
ISBN: 978-1-4169-0649-0
ISBN: 1-4169-0649-5
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Added 3/22/06
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