Egg-cellent Stories for Easter

     Families all around the world provide their children with different information about the story behind Easter and its significance.  Some may choose to teach their sons and/or daughters that Easter signifies a new beginning, with the onset of Spring, while for others, especially those who are of the Christian faith, they may choose to impart about how this is the most important religious day of the year, marking the day which Jesus Christ rose from the dead.  Whichever way you family chooses to celebrate this special day, rest assured that there will always be a wide variety of children's books available to assist you in your journey in teaching your children the relevance of this day.  So, while your busy gathering up those colored eggs and those soft, cuddly stuffed bunnies, be sure to add a few good books like those listed below, to fill your little one's Easter baskets this year.


Marley and the Great Easter Egg Hunt

     Marley, the lovable yet mischievous Labrador Retriever who became the subject of his owner, author John Grogan's 2005 New York Times bestselling autobiography, Marley & Me,  returns, in Marley and the Great Easter Egg Hunt, where we find him still mischievous and as sweet as ever.  This time, our enthusiastic dog is on a mission to be the first one to find the very special Easter egg planted by the mayor for the town's annual Easter egg hunt in the park.  Marley finds a bunch of little eggs with help from Cassie and his human family, but he quickly realizes that he's just not fast enough to grab them before someone else comes along and snatches them up from under his cold, wet nose.  Soon enough, Marley, in his search for that elusive, special egg, begins to cause a lot of havoc, and before you know it, Marley gets so messy that he ends up looking just like one of those very colorful eggs!

Marley and the Great Easter Egg Hunt
Written by John Grogan & Illustrated by Richard Cowdrey
Publisher:  HarperCollins Children's Books
Website:  www.harpercollinschildrens.com
ISBN: 9780062125248
Retails for $9.99 (Hardcover)
For ages:
    

The Story of the Cross:  The Stations of the Cross for Children
     Author Mary Joslin adeptly details the story of Jesus Christ's crucifixion and resurrection in a gentle manner, filled with age-appropriate language for young children to comprehend.  Tender, heartfelt prayers to be said at every station are included, while Gail Newey's beautifully detailed illustrations reflect the strong emotions of each stage of Jesus' last days on earth without being graphic.

The Story of the Cross:  The Stations of the Cross for Children
Written by Mary Joslin & Illustrated by Gail Newey
Publisher: Loyola Press
Website: www.loyolapress.com
ISBN: 9780829418194
Retails for $15.95
For ages 4 and up


Mia:  The Easter Egg Chase

     The lovable little kitty ballerina is back again, and this time, Mia is all excited, anticipating her family's annual Easter egg hunt. This year, a huge, delicious chocolate bunny is hidden as the special prize, and Mia is determined that this will be the very year that she will find the chocolate bunny all by herself.  But, will she be able to when she has to choose between helping her little cousin find eggs, or leaving her in search of the chocolate bunny?

Mia:  The Easter Egg Chase
Written by Robin Farley & Illustrated by Olga Ivanov
Publisher:  HarperCollins Children's Books
Website: www.harpercollinschildrens.com
ISBN: 9780062237095
Retails for $4.99
For ages: 4 to 8


Rechenka's Eggs
     From her bestselling story, The Keeping Quilt, a tale about the importance of keeping family traditions alive, to January's Sparrow, about one family's journey from slavery to freedom, Patricia Polacco's books have always been a go-to source for providing my students with valuable life lessons.  Polacco's 1996 release, Rechenka's Eggs, is of no exception.
     A kind, elderly woman named Babushka, takes in an injured goose, whom she names Rechenka, and provides the sickly animal with tender care.  But, while Rechenka is under Babushka's care, she ruins all of the beautiful, hand painted Easter eggs that Babushka created, one by one for the upcoming Easter festival.  And, just when you think all is lost, Rechenka performs a miracle---laying one magnificently colored egg every day for 13 days to replace all the eggs that she destroyed.  But, she also leaves a special surprise just for Babushka.

Rechenka's Eggs
Written & Illustrated by Patricia Polacco
Publisher:  Penguin Putnam
Website: www.uspenguingroup.com
ISBN: 9780698113855
Retails for $7.99
For ages 4 to 8

Happy Easter!

The Very Beary Tooth Fairy

      Losing a first tooth is a normal rite of passage during our childhood, and it can be a time filled with excitement and yes, apprehension. Once that wobbly tooth falls out, little ones anticipate their first visit from the “tooth fairy.” But, for one little bear in Arthur A. Levine’s latest storybook, The Very Beary Tooth Fairy, who has always been told to beware of human’s, as they, according to his momma bear, “are dangerous and unpredictable”, this upcoming visit is filled with anxiety and trepidation.

        Little Zach the bear, overhears a discussion between a group of children playing in a campsite, about the tooth fairy, who visits children in a human form once they have lost their teeth.  Being able to wiggle his tooth just like the human boy did at the campsite, starts to make Zach wonder.  Filled with lots of questions, Zach turns to his sister, Leah for answers. “Is the tooth fairy a bear or a person?”  Zach asks.  Leah, too preoccupied with her friends, gives him a quick, questionable answer, “depends”, as she runs off to play.   One night, Zach asks his mother what a bear could be (thinking and wishing, that, perhaps, the tooth fairy is actually a bear), she calmly and assuredly tells her little boy that a bear can be; “anyone, and anyone can be a bear.” Soon afterwards, while treating himself to some of his sister’s sweets, sure enough, Zach the bear loses his tooth.  Later that night, Zach becomes very worried and just won’t fall asleep.  With one eye open, and one eye closed, Zach keeps a watchful eye out for the fairy, wondering if she too, may be dangerous and unpredictable.

     If you’re looking for an age appropriate book that will help remove the fear out of your little one losing their teeth, this delightful story featuring this sweet little bear may be just the right fit. The Very Beary Tooth Fairy adeptly puts a spotlight on kindness and understanding, with a wonderfully valuable message of the power of bravery and the love of a family.

The Very Beary Tooth Fairy

Written by Arthur A. Levine
Illustrated by Sarah S. Brannen
Published by Scholastic Press, an imprint of Scholastic, Inc.
Website:  www.scholastic.com
ISBN: 978-0-439-43966-4
Retails: $16.99
For ages 3 and up

Lucky Ducklings

     Sometimes, the best stories are right in front of our eyes, or in the case of author Eva Moore, right in her seaside hometown of Montauk, New York.  Moore brilliantly turns a local news story about the misadventures of a momma duck and her babies, into a delightfully charming storybook, aptly titled, Lucky Ducklings.  

       As the tale begins, on a warm June morning, a momma duck decided to take her family of five baby ducklings out of the pond for a walk to explore the area outside of their home in a local park. When mom steps across a large storm drain effortlessly, tiny Pippin. Bippin,Tippin, Dippin and Little Joe follow behind,  But, as any good baby duck knows, whatever momma does, they must do.  So one by one, each little duckling disappears into the storm drain.  “Oh, dear!” exclaims author Moore. “That could have been the end of the story. But it wasn’t, because …” (This is a repeated refrain in the book—”that could have been the end of the story, but…”—and it goes far, without ever being annoying, in propelling the story forward.) Since someone had seen what had happened—a friendly tollbooth worker, that is—the fire department is summoned, while a crowd quickly gathers over the drain.         

     Three brave local firemen, Joe, Paul and Dennis rush to the scene, and just when they encounter difficulty in opening the grate (while simultaneously trying to keep momma duck calm), a man named Perry quickly thought to use the cable in his truck to pry open the grate.  With the community coming together to help save the little ducklings from harm, Pippin, Bippin, Tippin, Dippin, and Little Joe are rescued, one by one, to the waiting wings of their momma.

     Young children, like my class of first grade students who recently invited me to be their monthly special guest reader, will be immediately drawn into this charming tale.   While Moore’s story is based upon a true event that occurred in Montauk in 2000, her prose as well as Carpenter’s simple, yet beautifully rendered illustrates shines with a timeless quality.  While Lucky Ducklings quickly reminded me of author Robert McCloskey’s 1941 Caldecott Award winning classic, Make Way for Ducklings, I appreciated the updated issues that Moore worked into this story.  Carpenter’s images of garbage and litter in the duck’s park, and by showing the ducklings dirty as they emerge from the storm drain, will, as it did with my students, open up a dialogue with your children about the importance of taking care of our environment that we share with animals. 

Lucky Ducklings

Written by Eva Moore

llustrated by Nancy Carpenter

Publisher:  Orchard Books, an imprint of Scholastic

ISBN: 978-0-439-44861-1

Website: www.scholastic.com

Retail:  $16.99

For ages 5 to 8