Easter Books

"Happy Easter, Sprinkles!" is a cute book featuring Blue's baby brother and the other characters from "Blue's Room." No doubt, you can figure out from the title that this book is about Easter. There are lots of fun ways to celebrate Easter, but one of the most fun is definitely the painting of Easter eggs! It's Sprinkles's very first Easter and it's Fred who gets the idea to celebrate by painting eggs. We help by figuring out what items they need for this. We also help them search for items and to think up things that remind them of springtime. In the end, everyone, including Sprinkles, comes up with some great ideas for things to paint on their eggs.

I really like this book. The soft pastel illustrations are pleasing to the eye and work well with the colors of the holiday. There's also some imaginative scenes and fun action in the pictures. Definitely recommended for the Easter season.

My mom bought the I Can Read books for me when I was in Kinder, I'm 26 now and this is the one that I held on to all this time. I loved it from the first day I read it. The story is perfect for Easter time and is set up like a little play. Great for a kid's imagination, especially if they act out the play with other siblings or friends.

What a beautiful book! The striking cover and delicately decorated pages give this expository work on the Cross the appeal of a gift book, but with the depth and insight appropriate for serious Bible study. "The Heart of the Cross" is divided into three parts: "Words from the Cross" (an in-depth look at each of the final words of Christ from the cross, "The Real Last Words of Christ" (a study of the sayings of Jesus during the 40 days after his resurrection), and "The Message of the Cross" (which examines key New Testament verses regarding Christ's work on the cross). Many parts of this book have evangelistic overtones, making it a suitable book for giving to a non-Christian friend open to hearing the Gospel message.

I definitely recommend this book to Christians interested in knowing Christ and his work on the cross more intimately. This high quality book would also make a great gift.

Although this is a story about decorating Easter eggs, it introduces your child to familiar artistic styles. I think my husband enjoyed it as much as our children.

Silly phrases and an upbeat twist on an Easter tradition, this book hits the spot for a new treat for kids of all ages to enjoy. Funny and educational.

My 1 year old son really enjoys this book! The pictures of the animals are a nice size, clear and easy to see. He picks this book out for us to read to him quite a lot, he also likes to flip through the pages and look at all the animals himself. The animal noises are part of the story line, he likes hearing us make the noises. Definatly a winner!

This is a wonderful book that will bring back holiday memories for people of all backgrounds. As soon as I started reading this book I was taken back to my childhood where I can remember seeing the old fashioned decorations the author reminisces about hanging all around my house and also in my classrooms. The cardboard cutouts were simple but as soon as you see them you will remember a time when life was simple as the decorations seemed to be. I also come from an Italian background and can relate to the author's stories of large family gatherings filled with laughter, food and love. But anyone who reads this book will reminisce about their own holiday memories and traditions. This book is great to own or give as a gift.

Latin liturgical drama in thirteenth century Sweden? Who could possibly be interested in that?

Actually, the Swedish aspects of this study are of minor interest compared to the clarity and utility the author brings to the whole subject of music dramas inside the Christian churches of the Middle Ages. The surviving manuscripts from Sweden, and the accounts written by observers at the time, reveal that the practices among the relatively new converts to Christianity of the far North were almost identical to those of France, England, and Germany. In other words, the clergy and the monastic communities did indeed carry a uniform Christian culture with them wherever they thrived.

These musical occasions were liturgical first and only dramatic in clearly circumscribed fashion. They were inseparable from the ordinary rituals of the liturgical calendar - only performed as highlighters of specific holy days; always sung by clergy, monks, or nuns (and in large monasteries in France, by oblates, children given to the church) in the course of normal musical devotions, rather than by lay people; extremely seldom involving instruments other than bells; always sung in churches, though more frequently at side chapels or special locations than at the high altar; not essentially public performances or occasions for popular participation. The essential musical elements were the chants associated with the Hours, the Gregorian chants in almost all cases, particularly Matins and Vespers; thus the form of the "dramatic portions" of the ritual was the "trope", that is, the extension or decoration of the traditional chant. Most of the performance would have been the tonal recitations of the psalms, with their proper poetic antiphons and hymns.

A parallel culture of religious drama existed among the laity in Franc and England, that is, the Corpus Christi plays, performed on movable stages outdoors, each segmnet of drama being the possessiona nd production of a guild. Aside from subject matter, there's very little resemblance between the liturgical dramas and the Corpus Christi plays.

The conduct of liturgical music-drama is described clearly and in detail in Audrey Ekdahl Davidson's excellent book. Original Latin texts and solid English translations are included for seven dramas and dramatic processionals, and the music for three of the most complete has been transcribed in simple modern notation. Davidson also recounts the history of such ritual dramas in later centuries - their fate subsequent to the arrival of Lutheranism, and the lingering traces of them in Swedish church communities up to the present.

Don't imagine that you can buy the book and stage a liturgical drama meaningfully in your local church or synagogue! A lot of scholarship has been devoted to comprehending the music and re-conceiving the ritual. The music alone requires a substantial understanding of chant, and an ability to find the propers in the liturgical sources such as the Liber Usualis. The best way to get close to this serene spiritual art, after reading about it, is to hear it on a CD. The recorded performances by Le Reverdie and Ensemble Organum are excellent.

Honey Bunny is a pastel treasure. Smiling cherub-like faces of various cultures show off their springtime treasures, such as candy, eggs, a chick, and a bunny. The author uses polka dot patterns in the borders surrounding the pictures and in the large words to draw attention to them. The muted colors give a soft appearance throughout the book. Parents will enjoy reading the colorful nouns and adjectives to their preschoolers and pointing to fun picture they represent. It's a great way to teach a preschooler new words. Baby Booky: Honey Bunny is just one in a popular Baby Booky series by Engelbreit. (...)

Fabulous art work! Both of my daughter's loved this book, especially the art work! Adorable bunny pictures! I am buying the hardcover book as a gift for their teacher. Great story!