Recently I saw a whole stand of children’s Easter books at a store that I frequent. Out of about a dozen or more books, only two appeared to have anything to do with the resurrection of Jesus. I opened one of the ones about the resurrection, but it was presented in a pretty “matter-of-fact” manner. Then I opened God Gave Us Easter, with its appealing cover. I was drawn in by the artwork by Laura J. Bryant and the way the author, Lisa Tawn Bergren, handled the reason we celebrate Easter and the reason we need it. After skimming the book, I decided to take it home. I later learned it was part of a “God Gave Us” series.

At the beginning of the book, Papa Bear tells Little Cub why Easter is even better than Christmas. When Little Cub’s little sister and little brother tell Papa they like the Easter bunny and candy, Papa explains that “God is the one who gave us Easter.” To answer the question of how God gave us Easter, Papa gets creative. He explains that, like a chick comes out of an egg, Jesus came out of the tomb. Death could not keep God’s Son.

Then Papa and Little Cub go on a hike. Papa tackles a big subject by comparing a big, fallen tree to Jesus’ roots. Jesus’ family was from “The Root of Jesse.” (He is referring to the prophecy in Isaiah 11:1 predicting that Jesus would be an off-shoot of the family of Jesse, King David’s father.) His point is that God had planned to give us Jesus for a long time. (I might add that Jesus was chosen “before the foundation of the world,” according to I Peter 1:20 [WEB].)

When Little Cub says that it’s sad that the old tree died, Papa uses the opportunity to say that its death made it possible for new trees to grow. Like Easter, new life came from death. (The author was undoubtedly inspired by Jesus’ words shortly before His death: “Most certainly I tell you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies, it remains by itself alone. But if it dies, it bears much fruit.” [WEB])

Papa explains further that although no one likes death, “sometimes we have to let go of one thing so we can move on to another.” He compares life to a river turning into an ocean. Because of Easter, we will go from talking to Jesus to being in heaven with Him.

Then Papa tackles the reason we need Easter. God sent a big flood because people wouldn’t listen to Him, but even after the flood people disobeyed Him. Because of Jesus, God forgives us “when we make bad choices.” I like the fact that the author made it clear that only those who believe in Jesus can be forgiven.

I also like the last part of the book very much. Papa says that listening to God takes a special kind of listening, where we listen with our hearts. Little Cub tries very hard to listen. As she lies in her bed that night, she feels as though Jesus is whispering in her heart “I love you.” Little Cub whispers back, “I love you too, Jesus. Thanks for giving us Easter.” The closing of the book speaks to me of the peace of the Holy Spirit that believers can experience. The way the book ends would probably make it a good story to read at bedtime.

The creative, softly colored artwork in this book matches the creative, insightful conversation in the words of this book. Information I read online suggested that this book is for ages 3 to 7. However, because of the subject of death and the analogies used, ​I would say this book would be more effective for ages beginning at 5 or 6 and going up to age 8. A National Geographic article states that only 10% of 3-year-olds and 58% of 4-year-olds understand that death is final. I believe 3 and 4-year-olds, and maybe even 5-year-olds, may have difficulty following the analogies. It would be likely to especially appeal to children who tend to be thinkers. Adults reading the book to children will probably enjoy the artwork, the analogies, and the warmth of this book.