Disclaimer: I received a FREE copy of this product through the HOMESCHOOL REVIEW CREW in exchange for my honest review. I was not required to write a positive review nor was I compensated in any other way.
This Lent we’ve been reading from The Easter Storybook from David C Cook.
Written by Laura Richie and illustrated by Ian Dale, The Easter Storybook: 40 Stories Showing Who Jesus Is offers brief reflections, Bible references, a question, and illustration for 40 moments in Jesus’ life.
I can definitely get behind Richie’s goal: to use the 40 days leading up to Easter to have a better understanding of who Jesus is.
The hardcover book is sturdy and high quality.
The illustrations are lovely. We have several children’s Bibles, and the illustrations are either simple cartoons or look like they came right out of 1970. These pictures are expressive, detailed, and make great use of light and dark. Definitely some of the best I’ve seen in religious children’s literature. Just look at this image of Jesus calming the storm.
Inviting is the way I’d describe the illustrations.
The written passages are just the right length. I read them aloud to out 11, 9, 7, and 4 year-olds. The target audience is children ages 4-8, but my kids had no problem with either sitting through an entire passage or finding them too babyish.
The Day 1 reading covers the finding of Jesus in the temple, and the final reading, Day 40, covers the ascension of Jesus to heaven. That content covers a lot more ground than many “Easter” books which pick up on Palm Sunday and end with the Resurrection.
It’s easy to go right from preparing for and celebrating Christmas to preparing for and celebrating Easter, glossing over the middle events in Jesus’ life. His miracles, His parables– they all help us to understand Jesus in a deeper way.
I was nervous about how the book would handle The Last Supper, since it’s a point of contention among different Christians, and the book is not specifically Catholic. In that particular reflection Jesus is quoted as saying, “This is my body, which is given for you. Do this in remembrance of me.” That doesn’t contradict our beliefs, and I’m grateful that the author used that particular wording.
Although there aren’t 40 days left until Easter, picking up this book would be a blessing for families With current state of the world, now is the perfect time to add a family devotion to the daily routine, especially one that leads to a deeper understanding of who Jesus is.
The Easter Storybook is worth picking up for anyone looking to round out an Easter basket with a meaningful gift or families looking to plan ahead for next year.
Read more reviews at the Crew blog!