Easter reads for the little ones

• The Story of the Easter Bunny by Katherine Tegen and illustrated by Sally Anne Lambert. Everyone knows who the Easter Bunny is. Each year he comes with a basket of painted eggs and chocolates for children. But not everybody knows where he comes from. On a snow-cold day in a snug little house… So begins the true story of the Easter Bunny.

• Happy Easter, Mouse! by Laura Joffe Numeroff and illustrated by Felicia Bond. Join Mouse from If You Give a Mouse a Cookie as he goes on an Easter egg hunt. Who is hiding eggs in Mouse’s house? This adorable board book combines an engaging Easter theme with a story about colours. A simple introduction to colours and counting for toddlers.

• Llama Llama Easter Egg by Anna Dewdney. With short and simple rhyming text, the Llama Llama board books introduce Llama Llama to babies and toddlers before they’re ready for longer full-length stories. In Llama Llama Easter Egg, the Easter Bunny brings lots of treats for Llama Llama: jelly beans, colourful eggs, and a fluffy surprise.

• The Berenstain Bears and the Easter Story by Jan and Mike Berenstain. The bear cubs and papa are candy-crazy this Easter. But mama, with help from papa, tells the cubs about Jesus’ resurrection and shows them that salvation is much sweeter than candy. A gatefold surprise reveals the Easter Rabbit.

• The Golden Egg Book by Margaret Wise Brown and Leonard Weisgard. A lonely little bunny, happening upon an egg in a field one day, is puzzled by the noises coming from within it. Could there be a little boy inside? Perhaps another bunny? Trying everything he can to break open the egg, the bunny eventually falls asleep. It is only then that the egg hatches and a tiny duckling emerges. Puzzled by this strange furry being he immediately encounters, the duckling does everything he can to wake the bunny. Eventually, he is successful and the two become fast friends.

• Here Comes the Easter Cat by Deborah Underwood and illustrated by Claudia Rueda. A cat with flair to spare, an Easter Bunny with a job to do, and a hilarious break from sticky-sweet Easter fare. Why should the Easter Bunny get all the love? That’s what Cat would like to know. So he decides to take over. He dons his sparkly suit, jumps on his Harley, and roars off into the night to deliver all the Easter bunny’s eggs. But it turns out delivering Easter eggs is hard work. And it doesn’t leave much time for naps (of which Cat has taken five, no seven).

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ke5j4NS-uAw

• Happy Easter, Curious George by Margret Rey, HA Rey, RP Anderson and illustrated by Mary O’Keefe Young. Happy Easter, Curious George is a winning holiday story based on HA and Margret Rey’s popular primate and is painted in the original watercolour and charcoal style. One fine Easter morning, George and the man with the yellow hat head to the park. George can’t help but join in the fun when he sees children dyeing Easter eggs … but what’s that man doing with their prized creations?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=17ujK-cUM2Y

• The Country Bunny and the Little Gold Shoes by Du Bose Heyward. The Country Bunny is a lady who attains the exalted position of Easter Bunny in spite of her responsibilities as the mother of 21. The story ends with success and a reward is, of course, as every child would wish.

• The Easter Egg by Jan Brett. Jan Brett’s lovable bunny hero, Hoppi, and her remarkable Easter Rabbit will enchant readers as they pore over illustrations filled with dazzling eggs made by Flora Bunny, Aunt Sassyfrass and others. If Hoppi can make the best Easter egg, he will get to help the Easter Rabbit deliver the eggs on Easter morning. But it is not so easy. Discouraged, he goes into the woods to think when a blue robin’s egg tumbles out of its nest. Hoppi keeps it safe and warm until the baby bird hatches. When the Easter Rabbit arrives, he chooses the empty blue eggshell to reward Hoppi with for his kindness.

• Duck & Goose, Here Comes the Easter Bunny! by Tad Hills. Duck and Goose have lots of ideas about how to find the Easter Bunny, but will they succeed? Pre-schoolers won’t be able to resist this latest board book featuring Duck and Goose, lots of colorful eggs, and the Easter Bunny.

Information from www.goodreads.com