Easter Books

Petook is a fine rooster with snowy white plumage and a red comb who becomes the extremely proud father of twelve little chickens. When he hears that a stranger has been seen in the vineyard near his wife Martha and her brood Petook flies to their side to protect them. On the ground he sees the impressions of a child's feet, set in a straight line toward Jerusalem, and since he knows that young boys are sometimes careless and might tread on one of the tricks, Petook hurries along. But when he gets to Martha he knows that he did not need to be afraid, for the boy was there, kneeling by the little brown hen with a look of wonder on his face as he say the lovely sight of Martha gathering her chicks under her wings.

Older readers will have a good idea of who the young boy is, but younger readers may not figure it out until the scene shifts to many years later and Petook is old and passing an uneasy night. In the distance he can see the hill of Calvary where three tall trunks always stood, waiting to become corsses. But young children will also notice in the illustration by Tomie dePaola a figure in white praying beneath a tree, while three figures sleep under another, and a party of soldiers is led by someone with a lantern towards the garden. The next day Petook keeps looking at the top of the hill and the cross beams that are put up. Of course, Petook does not know that the little boy from years ago is know the man hanging on the center cross.

The story by Caryll Houselander does not end there, but with Easter morning. I thought that Petook was going to turn out to be the rooster that crowed to chastise Peter for denying Jesus, but that is not the case. Instead Houselander was inspired by when Jesus said "Jerusalem, Jerusalem, how often would I have gathered you under my wings as the hen gathers her chicks, and you would not." This story is told with a simplicity that suits the subtle symbolism of the story. The details dePaola puts into the background of the illustrations serve as reminders of the real story behind the one Houselander is telling.

It is a wonderful story capturing the wonder of rebirth in the Easter story. It is a rare Easter story for young children that doesn't present the confusing details of death and resurrection directly. The illustrations are beautiful.

Three Rotten Eggs by Gregory Maguire was a great book. This was very strange but interesting. A boy named Thud moves to Hamlet, Vermont, just in time for the annual spring egg hunt. The girls and boys have clubs and each club wants Thud to join so they have the most people in their group. At the egg hunt the teams have a competition of who gets the most eggs, but when three rotten eggs start to hatch the kids have to find a way keep them alive. Will the two clubs work together or try to save them on their own? To find out read this book.

Kids seeking light humor and fun will find this a whimsical story of a different kind of newcomer to class: one Thud Tweed and three genetically altered eggs. Add drama and a cover-up of intent and you have a lively story with many unpredictable twists and turns.

as with all winnie the pooh books, this was great. teaches about team work.

This Easter, Rabbit has to tend to his garden & can't play the easter bunny. Some of Pooh's friend's try on Rabbit's bunny suit to see if they could do it. Many pages go on to describe the ordeal. Pooh & friends decide to help Rabbit out in his garden so that he can play the easter bunny.

I have found that Winnie the Pooh stories usually, if not always, have some sort of life lesson tucked away in the pages. This one is on teamwork.

I used this book for a project in school, the kids loved it! Then we used it to learn about a lot of different things like Easter eggs, and bugs and fram animals and the difference between our day and night. It is an old book but a good one!

As a veteran kindergarten teacher of 40 years I have read a great number of children's books. My favorite story during the Easter season is "The World in the Candy Egg". The story begins with someone buying a panoramic candy egg from a toy shop. The story continues with a story about the scene inside the egg. The language and illustrations are so beautiful I never get tired of reading it. After reading it I ask the children to draw an egg and draw as many things in it that they can remember from the scene inside the egg. Then I tell them I have a big surprise for them and show them a box with a panoramic candy egg. They all look at the scene in it and then I break it up and give them all a taste. I have read the book to all my grandchildren and then given them a candy egg. My book is so worn from all the use it's had and I would love to have another. I'm sorry it's out of print. I think it would be great to have someone reprint it in paperback and market it with a panoramic egg.

The stickers were so colorful and the books had so much fun activities for the kids to enjoy.

This is a good book to read for those who are very interested in the uprising. It is NOT a good idea to read this book before reading a current and comprehensive book about the Easter Rising. This would be a good follow up to either Coogan's or De Rosa's books on the subject. It was written and compiled by the Irish Times who was decisively against the uprising and this is very clear in some of the analysis in the book. It also has some inaccuracies and errors that can be explained by both its political prejudice and the proximity in time to the Rising in which it was compiled. It is a mandatory book for those of us who are hopelessly obsessed with those events so long ago in 1916

This a great book for those who like real adventures. It makes you feel like you are taking part of an archeological expedition. The only defect that I found is that it is a little long for its content.

This daily guide for meditations through Lent begins with a Gospel reading for the day, followed by a commentary by Bishop Morneau related to that reading. The feature which raises this book above similar ones is the inclusion of a spiritual poem by poets such as Jessica Powers and George Herbert. The day's section closes with questions to guide personal study on the theme of the Gospel, and a prayer for the day. I have found "Ashes to Easter" to be a wonderful guide for increased spiritual awareness through Lent, and I look forward to rereading it each year.

This book of meditations for Lent, Holy Week & Easter, by one of London's best & most popular preachers (Martin Dudley is Rector of the Priory Church of St Bartholomew the Great, the oldest & most beautiful church in the City of London) is well written & densely packed, repaying reading & re-reading. It is not an introduction to the Christian faith, as it assumes a sufficient degree of involvement & understanding for the reader to have chosen to observe Lent & to be participating in the liturgy of Holy Week & Easter. Dr Dudley writes with humanity, erudition, & originality - the scope of his learning is startlingly wide, but always interesting & never daunting. One gets the impression that he likes the people for whom he is writing (the book is dedicated to his current & previous congregations). 'Ashes to Glory' will serve as an ideal companion to Lent for both individuals & groups.

This exciting book with colourful pictures is the ideal for sharing time with the children. They will be kept well-entertained and excited for the whole night.