Celebrate Easter
The 2008 Easter Season observances begin with Palm Sunday on March 16, followed by Good Friday on March 21, culminating with Easter Sunday on March 23 (Orthodox observance is on April 27). Books make wonderful presents for holiday presentations; sharing books always provides excellent opportunities for discussions at what ever level is appropriate for your particular needs. Choose a selection from the following titles to help you celebrate Easter and spring as a time of rebirth and new beginnings.
Reviews
The Easter Day Surprise
Jane L. Fryar
Illustrated by Michelle Dorenkamp
This version of Jesus' Resurrection is told in verse and illustrated to appeal to younger readers/listeners. The book opens with God telling two angels to go and tell the people that Jesus is Risen. We see the guards at Jesus' tomb as they are frightened away and the angel rolling away the stone blocking the entrance to the sepulcher. The story continues to follow the events of Easter morning as Mary discovers that the tomb is empty. After hearing the news, John and Peter race to the tomb and wonder what could have happened to the body of their Lord. Mary is left grieving at the tomb and is overjoyed when Jesus appears to ease her fears: "I died and then I rose again./Now you are free from death and sin." This artist's vision of Jesus shows Him with long flowing brown hair and a full beard. The cartoon style drawings have enough shadowing and detail to give them a realistic touch that is accessible to younger readers/listeners. The last double spread has the Bible verses from Matthew 28: 18-20 on the left and an illustration of the empty tomb on the right. Parents and Sunday School teachers will be pleased to have this simplified version of the Easter miracle to share with their children.
2008, Concordia, $14.99, Ages 5 to 10. Reviewer: Sheilah Egan (Children's Literature).
ISBN: 978-0-7586-1445-2
ISBN: 0-7586-1445-4
Henri, Egg Artiste
Marcus Pfister
Translated by J. Alison James
Pfister offers an introduction to art masterpieces in this humorous tale of a rabbit who is a "professional Easter egg painter." Henri's wife, Henrietta, has brought in the eggs, but Henri complains that as an artist he is sick of painting the same old eggs. Henrietta worries about the disappointed children while he seeks inspiration for something different. As he finally begins to paint his new "masterpieces," Henri produces a series of eggs in styles ranging from ancient Egypt to contemporary modern. Finally, instead of hiding them, he puts them on exhibition. Despite Henrietta's concern, the children gaze in wonder. The appropriately dressed anthropomorphic bunnies are painted in scenes filled with contextual details, from the cottage and barn to Henri's studio, cluttered with small sketches, messy worktable, and loose paint brushes. When he shows his eggs, those in the know will be delighted to see many art favorites viewed through Henri's inventive artistic eyes. A foldout in the back has small reproductions of the paintings used to model the eggs, along with a few lines of information on the artist and work. 2007 (orig. 2005), North-South Books, Ages 3 to 10, $15.95. Reviewers: Ken Marantz and Sylvia Marantz (Children's Literature).
ISBN: 978-0-7358-2130-9
ISBN: 0-7358-2130-5
In My Backyard
Margriet Ruurs
Illustrated by Ron Broda
We are welcomed to a backyard that is "a busy place--all year round." As spring arrives, a young wren sings, toads call; snail, spiders, and snakes make their presence known. Wasps build their nest, baby birds clamor for food, butterflies dance by day, bats soar at night. As winter approaches, possums dig in the compost pile, and baby mice sleep in their nest. With just a brief sentence or two per double page, Ruurs vividly sets the scene for Broda's amazingly realistic depiction of the creatures in their natural settings, all done with paper sculpture. On one page he provides a full-color scene of the animal or insect in action, mostly in the pursuit of food. On the facing page is a vignette created in gray tones, a close-up of some activity such as a wasps building a multi-chambered nest or a hummingbird feeding its young. An added visual feature is the challenge to find a ladybug and a "preview" of the next page in each scene. The final spread is a view of a garden that might well be the spot for all the previous events. More information on each included creature, plus steps to make a garden attractive to them, follows the last illustration. 2007, Tundra Books, $18.95. Ages 3 to 8. Reviewers: Ken Marantz and Sylvia Marantz (Children's Literature).
This interactive book invites children and adults to share the joys of discovery. The opening pages present a monochromatic view of the back of a house and its yard. Each of the following double-page spreads then focuses on one detail in that yard. A wren is shown on the left side of the next layout in shades of gray accompanied by a brief text. The facing page in full color features the wren in front of a red birdhouse in a large flowering tree overlooking a pond with a swimming duck. A tiny ladybug is hidden in each illustration. In addition, readers are invited to look for clues in each picture about the creature that will be featured when the pages are turned. The toad on a rock is the subject of the next facing pages. This format continues with introductions of snails, spiders, hummingbirds, snakes, wasps, swallows, butterflies, bats, opossums, and mice. The closing spread shows a boy and girl looking out the window of the house observing the backyard in full color. Factual information about each of the creatures appears in the back, and readers are then given suggestions for nurturing wildlife in their own backyards. The appeal of this book is in Broda's detailed paper sculpture illustrations. They are beautiful in both the single-color and full-color formats. This is a book for one-on-one sharing. Finding the clues and the ladybugs requires close-up concentration. 2007, Tundra Books, $18.95. Ages 4 to 7. Reviewer: Phyllis Kennemer, Ph.D. (Children's Literature).
ISBN: 978-0-88776-775-3
Looking for Easter
Dori Chaconas
Illustrated by Margie Moore
When Little Bunny smells "sunshine and warm breezes and clear flowing water," he asks beaver about it. Beaver answers that it "smells like Easter." Then Little Bunny needs to know "What is Easter?" Beaver announces that it is a basket and that he would make one for Little Bunny if he could have some help gathering branches to make his lodge bigger. So it goes throughout this simple and sweet explanation that Easter is "new life." As Little Bunny seeks explanations, each animal he meets gives him another part of the answer in exchange for a little help from the questing bunny. The reader begins to understand that each of the animals (beaver, mouse, woodchuck, and bird) needs help to provide for the impending birth of a new generation of life. Little Bunny ends up giving the bird the basket filled with new grass and berries to use for a nest. Having sacrificed his new found treasures, Little Bunny is still wondering about Easter when he is introduced to the animals' offspring...new life is the answer he has been seeking. Without religiosity, this is an homage to spring and new beginnings. The soft watercolors are a sweet enhancement to the gentle storyline. The message of needing and offering help and then receiving insight is one that all children could take to heart. This book will serve well to introduce spring and to discuss, for those so inclined, the meaning of Easter on a religious level. 2008, Albert Whitman, Ages 3 to 6, $15.95. Sheilah Egan (Children's Literature).
ISBN: 978-0-8075-4749-6
Let's Look at Spring
Sarah L. Schuette
"Spring days are warmer and wetter than winter days" and "Everything is green again" are two of the six facts about the spring season presented here. Other topics cover what animals do in Spring ("Robins feed their young in nests."), and what happens to plants during this season ("Bees buzz in and out of the flowers."). "What's next?" describes what happens at the end of the season. Part of the "Investigate the seasons" series for young readers, sentences are intentionally short. Full-color clear, crisp photographs accompany the text. Teachers and parents can read along with the child and add further information as seen in the photos. Close-ups include a bee on a flower and a robin feeding here baby. Sections at the end of the book include a glossary, read more, Internet sites, and an index. A note to parents and teachers states that this series "supports national science standards related to weather and climate." This is a good general introduction to the season. From here, students can add facts they know or list seasonal topics they want to learn more about. The brief text and the interesting pictures make this suitable for toddlers as well as beginning readers. 2007, Pebble Plus/Capstone Press, $19.93. Ages 2 to 8. Reviewer: Sharon Salluzzo (Children's Literature).
ISBN: 978-0-7368-6707-8
ISBN: 0-7368-6707-4
Max Counts His Chickens
Rosemary Wells
On Easter morning Max, the beloved bunny star of more than twenty books, goes hunting for the ten hot-pink marshmallow chicks hidden by the Easter Bunny. Of course sister Ruby is also on the hunt, and it is "finders keepers." She finds one under her pillow, another in her dollhouse, a third on the bathtub taps. As she continues to discover them, the pink chicks she has found appear at the top of the page along with the number. Poor Max is not finding any, although he is managing to make a mess looking. As Ruby moves from room to room, delighted as she collects her ten chicks, Max's basket remains empty. Luckily Grandma arrives in time to call up the Easter Bunny, who remedies Max's loss, but not his ability to count. Young readers should enjoy being able to count better than Max while they empathize with him. This counting book disguised as a story exploits the appealing bunnies in Wells's typical format: single-page scenes set on a variety of colored backgrounds. As usual she tells her honestly comic story in simple settings with her convincingly expressive characters. 2007, Viking/Penguin Young Readers Group, $15.99. Ages 2 to 6. Reviewers: Ken Marantz and Sylvia Marantz (Children's Literature).
ISBN: 978-0-670-06222-5
ISBN: 0-670-06222-7
My First Easter
Tomie dePaola
Dyed eggs, new flowers (including an Easter lily), new clothes (including Easter bonnets), animals born in the Spring, Easter baskets delivered by the Easter Bunny, and an Easter egg hunt are all aspects of this family's celebration of Easter. Each watercolor spread shows the family preparing for and enjoying the activities that are also part of many family observances of the Easter Season. The simple sentences will be a delight to early readers and even young listeners will grasp the meaning: "These are the animals born in the spring." Known the world around, dePaola's gentle watercolors are the perfect accompaniment for this early introduction to Easter. The board book format and its slightly larger size (aprox. 71/2x 71/2) will appeal to little people. The book is enhanced with flocking (on the animals) for a tactile experience and sparkly, decorated eggs for visual stimulation. It would be perfect for Easter baskets and especially fitting for the very "First Easter." 2008 (orig.1990), Grosset & Dunlap, $5.99, Ages 3 months to 3. Reviewer: Sheilah Egan (Children's Literature).
ISBN: 978-0-448-44790-2
My Little Easter Book
Julie Stiegemeyer
Pictures by Dana Regan
Utilizing the repeated answer "Because He loves me so." this sturdy board book helps youngsters understand the Easter Story through a series of questions such as "Why did Jesus come?" Each spread has a straightforward bit of text on the left side and an uncomplicated drawing on the right side that will help children understand the story. Starting with Jesus' arrival in Jerusalem "riding on a donkey..." and continuing through His appearance to the disciples, the book includes scenes of The Last Supper, Jesus praying in the Garden, The Crucifixion, and the The Resurrection. The Crucifixion scene is accompanied by the words "Jesus was hurt and died on the cross." The illustration is candid without being overly disturbing for early readers or young listeners. The questions are repeated on one of the last pages with a picture showing children reading the Bible together. The last two pages have the text to the Bible song "Jesus Loves Me." Parents and educators will find this useful for Sunday school classes or one-on-one explanations of the last week of Jesus' life and the reason that Easter is celebrated. 2008,Concordia, $5.99, Ages 4 to 6. Reviewer: Sheilah Egan (Children's Literature).
ISBN: 978-0-7586-1444-5
ISBN: 0-7586-14444-6
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. 2008, Scholastic, Ages 2 to 5, $6.99. Reviewer: Marilyn Courtot (Children's Literature).
ISBN: 978-0-545-03784-6
ISBN: 0-545-03784-0
North Country Spring
Reeve Lindbergh
Illustrated by Liz Silverston
This celebration of spring invites a wide variety of creatures to come out and experience the awakening joys of the season. A voice, perhaps the wind, beckons the sap to start flowing in the trees and the leaves to bud. Wild geese take wing. Bear families tumble about and deer discover tender new grasses. The fish in the streams wake up, the frogs begin jumping, and the ducks slip into the marsh to lay eggs. Otters splash and play in the rivers. Owls fly free over the shadowy woods as mice skitter and hide. Bats, skunks, and wolves share the moonlit fields. And, finally, the people come out--the children, the parents, the grandparents. The breeze warms the land and the voice of spring is heard everywhere. The text in rhyming couplets establishes the glorious tone. Factual notes about the animals mentioned are included at the back. Attractive acrylic paintings capture the spirit of the season with large splashes of color and blurred forms that seem to blend together. A lovely tribute to spring. 2007 (orig. 1997), Houghton Mifflin Company, $6.95. Ages 5 to 8. Reviewer: Phyllis Kennemer, Ph.D. (Children's Literature).
ISBN: 978-0-618-80906-6
Spring is Here, Grumpy Bunny!
Justine Korman
Illustrations by Lucinda McQueen
This Grumpy Bunny book contains a story entitled Too Many Bunnybabies that is sure to delight librarians and proponents of early literacy. In this book, Hopper the Grumpy Bunny visits his friend, Lilac, who is going to the Bunnybaby Center storytime to read to the baby bunnies. Hopper, who doesn't understand the importance of reading to babies, grumbles that the baby bunnies won't even understand the stories. Lilac, playing the role of early literacy advocate (and children's librarians' best friend) espouses, in a fun and child-friendly language, the importance of reading and explains that reading to babies from an early age makes them better readers when they are older. Hopper, of course, ultimately ends up reading to the children, but only after a brief bout of hilarious chaos ensues, complete with book chewing and dirty diapers. By the end of the book, the children happily listen to their favorite stories before naptime. This book will appeal to both young children and to the parents and caregivers of young children who will appreciate the oddly accurate portrayal of babies, as seen through bunnybabies. 2008, Cartwheel Books/Scholastic, Ages 4 to 8, $4.99. Reviewer: Meagan Albright
ISBN: 0-54503-402-7
ISBN: 978-0-5450-3402-9
Spring Things
Bob Raczka
Illustrated by Judy Stead
This is a fun, engaging, and exciting picture book with colorful and lively illustrations. The book uses words that end with "-ing" to describe spring. It starts with the things that lead up to spring at the end of winter. Words like "melting" and "dripping" are used. There are one or two words on each page with an illustration that matches the words. For example, "melting" has a picture of a melting snowman on it. The book goes on to describe what happens at the beginning of spring and uses more "-ing" words like "budding" and "sprouting" and again has pictures on each page that match the words. It then describes the activities of spring like "hoeing", "sowing" and "mowers mowing." The book closes with a prelude to summer and a short quiz about all of the seasons. The quiz has fill-in the-blank questions like "fall means apple pies to bake, corn to pick and leaves to (blank)." This book would be a wonderful resource for introducing the "-ing" suffix and for examining action words. Since the pictures match the text, the book's predictability allows younger students to experience its message. 2007, Albert Whitman and Company, $16.95. Ages 4 up. Reviewer: Tina Selvaggi (Children's Literature).
ISBN: 978-0-8075-7596-3
ISBN: 0-8075-7596-8
That's My Colt: An Easter Tale
Dandi Daley Mackall
Illustrated by Chris Ellison
Told from the view point of a young boy living on the out skirts of Jerusalem, this is the story of Jesus' entrance into the city on what is now called Palm Sunday and His subsequent arrest, crucifixion, and Resurrection. As the story opens Matthias is longing for a donkey colt of his own, then after he is given one for his tenth birthday he longs to train it to be ridden; but, his mother keeps him busy with Passover preparations. Historical information is woven into the storyline without interfering with the development of the action. Matthias is shocked when someone appears to be stealing both of the family's donkeys; but when his father hears that "the Master has need of it" the donkeys are freely given. Matthias is upset with the loss of his colt and follows the crowd gathering around Jesus. The boy tries to warn Jesus that the colt is not broken for riding but Jesus just smiles, mounts the colt and rides into the city to shouts of "Hosanna!" After His arrest, the boy decides to give the colt to Jesus so that He can escape from the city; but it is, too, late and Matthias sees Golgotha and the three crosses there. He sinks into deep depression until he learns of the Resurrection and is filled with great joy. He rides the colt around Jerusalem crying out "Hallelujah! He lives!" The beautifully crafted paintings that accompany the imaginative story are done in a realistic style but with enough broad, rough strokes to give a sense of a different time and place-capturing the flavor of the age and yet portraying deep emotions on the faces of the people. The illustrator's vision of Jesus is of a strong, handsome man with short hair and beard. Details in the pictures fill out information not given through the text ex. the palms strewn in Jesus' path as He entered Jerusalem-making the appealing illustrations a real extension of the text. Of course, it is not known to whom the colt really belonged; but, it could have been a boy just like Matthias. 2008, Concordia, $14.99, Ages 5 to 10. Reviewer: Sheilah Egan (Children's Literature).
ISBN: 978-0-7586-1423-0
ISBN: 0-7586-1423-3
The Biggest Easter Basket Ever
Steven Kroll
Illustrated by Jeni Bassett
Mouseville residents are all excited by the upcoming Easter festivities. The mayor has announced that there will be an egg-rolling contest, Easter egg hunt and a contest to see who can create the biggest Easter basket. Clayton and Desmond are each determined to win and they prepare really big baskets, but when they check out those of friends they realize that the others are about the same size. The solution becomes fairly obvious-Desmond and Clayton decide to cooperate and together with their families they do build the biggest and best Easter basket. The friends win the contest and share all the goodies with those who are participating in the festivities. The added attraction in this book is the series of foil egg stickers (for which there is no explanation or apparent use in the book). 2008, Cartwheel/Scholastic, Ages 3 to 5, $4.99. Reviewer: Marilyn Courtot (Children's Literature).
ISBN: 978-0-545-01702-2
ISBN: 0-545-01702-5
Where Are Baby's Easter Eggs?
Karen Katz
Baby is looking for Easter Eggs. Where are they hidden? She looks behind the bush, in the laundry basket, behind the flowers, under the picnic table, up in the tree, and behind the gate. She does not find the eggs until the end but at each "lift the flap" there are items that relate to Easter, such as a bonnet, jelly beans, bunnies and chicks. At last, she finds the shiny colored eggs. The celebration can begin. Toddlers always enjoy lifting the flaps to see what is behind. The little round-headed baby changes poses on each page. Children are introduced to a variety of vocabulary-extending prepositions as well as items that relate to Easter. The cardstock flaps are probably not sturdy enough for libraries but the book would be a nice addition to an Easter basket. 2008, Simon & Schuster, Ages 1 to 3, $6.99. Reviewer: Sharon Salluzzo (Children's Literature).
ISBN: 978-1-4169-4924-4
ISBN: 1-4169-4924-0
Where Is Spring?
Yang Huan
Illustrated by H. Y. Huang & A. Yang
"Where is spring?" a little boy asks as he releases his kite up into the breeze. The quiet responses come to him from many facets of nature. The seagull says spring is traveling by sea in a boat; the sparrow says it is strolling in the fields by the riverbank; the sun says that it is on the faces of the flowers, and so forth. Each response is accompanied by bright, water-color illustrations, which always include the kite as it travels from one destination to the next. The paintings add a sense of space to each stanza as the kite travels over the fields, over the school yard, through every bustling street, down the quiet alleys, and into the young boy's house. The text is splashed across the surface of the illustrations which lends to the movement felt in the poetry. A lovely addition to a primary poetry collection, this book could also be used during Asian Pacific American Heritage Month in commemorating literary contributions of Asians. 2007, Heryin Books, $15.95. Ages 3 to 7. Reviewer: Theresa Finch (Children's Literature).
ISBN: 0-9762-0568-8
ISBN: 978-0-9762-0568-5
To view reviews of books about Easter from previous years, click on the following links:
2007.
2006.
2004.
2003.
Added 02/26/08
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