God Gave Us Easter

I thought it was very timely to be able to review God Gave Us Easter since Easter is just around the corner.

God Gave Us Easter is part of a series of books written by Lisa Tawn Bergren and illustrated by Laura J. Brayant. Some of the other books in the series include: God Gave Us You, God Gave Us Two, and God Gave Us Christmas.

Here's a short video about the series and this book.

In general, the book is cute, but I do not recommend it if you want to truly teach about Easter. Let me explain why.

I like how it started by explaining there is more to Easter than the Easter bunny, but then I felt it jumped around topically. The author discussed how things need to die in order to bring new life and how you have to let go of things in order to receive something greater. Then she briefly discusses the sinfulness of people at the flood and after. There is a simplistic mention of Jesus providing the need of forgiveness. She ends with Jesus speaking to your heart.

I think the story does not progress in a logical order.  Papa Bear mentioned that God had a plan for Easter from the beginning, but the hopping back and forth does not show it. I think younger ones might miss the meaning of Easter in the midst of discussions of the “root of Jesse” and the river running to the sea. I also have an issue of animals dealing with theology, but that is a topic for another post.

Or is it? You see, I had my 8 year old read the book.

It is recommended for ages 3-8, so she is on the high end. She thought the book was “okay”. She liked that the book dealt with Easter, but in her words, “Why polar bears? Animals don’t need salvation.” Then she lapsed into how fun it would be to talk to the animals, but I (and she) digress.

The polar bear family is a cute family,however…for a family of polar bears that is. The illustrations are really nice.

So, here are my final thoughts. If you want a book to teach or reinforce what you have taught your child about Easter, this one is not it. If you just want a book to deal with Easter as a way of keeping some focus on the real reason for the season, this book would be a cute one to have.

I received this book for free from WaterBrook Multnomah Publishing Group for this review.