Favorite Easter Books for Families
Celebrating Easter takes many forms around our household. One of the simplest and most impactful is the reading and retelling of the greatest STORY: the story of Christ's sacrifice and the story of His miraculous resurrection.
Revisiting these truths time and again allows us to appreciate the work of Christ on our behalf and celebrate new life through Him alone!
Some of our favorite retellings and picture books are below!
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The Garden, the Curtain, and the Cross, by Carl Laferton
This book presents the story of the gospel from the very beginning, and the need for a Savior. Written with just the right balance of complexity and simplicity and full of theological truths.
Easter Eggs for Anya: A Ukrainian Celebration of New Life in Christ, by Virginia Kroll
Ukrainian Easter Eggs were a sweet part of my childhood Easter celebrations. This book is a reflection of that tradition, and connects it to new life in Christ. This book has such a sweet story and a meaningful connection to the joy and love that are only found in Christ.
He is Risen: Rocks tell the story of Easter
If you have any rock-loving kids like mine, they will be enthralled with this book! It's one of my favorite retellings for the simple and sweet language and the fascinating combinations of rocks! Such a unique idea!
Jesus and the Very Big Surprise
This book is from the Biblically accurate and highly regarded "Tales that Tell the Truth" series. Using a parable of Jesus to show what God is like, the book also makes the connection to Jesus being the unexpected servant. And the biggest surprise of all? HE CAME ALIVE AGAIN.
Easter is for Me, by Dandi Daley Mackall
This is an impactful retelling especially suitable to children. It makes the story personal and retells it in a way they can relate to. This is a favorite around here for it's theological accuracy as well as relatability.
The Story of Passover, by David A. Adler
This is a wonderful and accurate retelling of the Passover story and Exodus from Egypt. There is even a synopsis at the end about the traditional Passover meal and its elements. This one is Biblically accurate and also has captivating illustrations for kids.
The Easter Story, by Brian Wildsmith
I absolutely adore the illustrations of Brian Wildsmith. I collect any book of his that I can get my hands on! The pictures in this particular edition are colorful, and accented with gold foil. Love this one for the pictures, for sure! As for Biblical accuracy, this one does add a little storyline with the donkey that carries Jesus into Jerusalem, so if that bothers you, check out the others on this list. 🙂 The Donkey Who Carried a King, by R.C. Sproul, is a similar retelling and storyline that we also enjoy.
The Very First Easter, by Paul L. Maier
This is another beautifully illustrated book. I love the "Story within a Story" format. This particular framework works very well for children in relating to the story.
Jesus Calling: The Story of Easter
This is one I could totally picture in a little girl's Easter basket! (The dust jacket is GLITTER, after all!) I was so thrilled to see this at our local library. This retelling emphasizes, on a very child-appropriate level, that God's plan from the beginning of time was Jesus! 2 Timothy 1:9 says, "That was his plan from before the beginning of time - to show us his grace through Christ Jesus." This book does an excellent job of showing the scope of the gospel and how wonderful God's plan really is!
This is a sweet story, based on a real one! We host a Passover meal every year, and this story tells about a family on a farm and their special surprise one Passover. This is more storybook than instructional/retelling, but it's a favorite around here!
Miss Fannie's Hat, by Jan Karon
This is a delightful favorite of our girls. Miss Fannie shows true selflessness when asked to auction off one of her hats for the church auction. Her choice is a good conversation starter for little hearts - and big ones!
Books for adults:
I love these books to have on hand to read and reread throughout the Lenten season.
Bread and Wine: Readings for Lent and Easter
This is one I purchased at the recommendation of Sarah Clarkson. I love the varied collection of authors and ideas.
Easter Stories: Classic Tales for the Holy Season
I have read this twice, and plan to reread it for the third time this Lenten season. It is profound and beautiful. There are a wide variety of authors included (C.S.Lewis and Madeleine L’Engle, for instance). I was very impacted by the stories in this book. While I used this for my personal reading, there were several stories that spoke to me so much that I've read them aloud to our family. LOVE this one! HIGHLY recommend.
Lee Strobel, the author, has a well known testimony as being an athiest journalist who sought to disprove Christianity and then, faced with the remarkable facts about the faith, ended up becoming a believer. He has written several fascinating books, and this one is great to read during the Easter/Lent season.
The Art of Lent: A painting a day from Ash Wednesday to Easter
This one is new to me this year, and it's much smaller than I expected! I was picturing a large, coffee table size book and this is not that! However, there are masterful paintings and a broad variety of artwork with points to ponder for each day of the Lenten calendar.
If you are looking for a meaningful devotional to celebrate Jesus and the true meaning of Easter, my family devotional Easter Ebook will be available soon! Look for a link next week to purchase it!
