Here are four new books to add to your family library this Easter.  They celebrate the warmth of spring and the joy of the Resurrection.  If you missed it last year, be sure to check out my 2024 Easter book roundup as well.

Seven Little Ducklings / Annette LeBlanc Cate—In addition to cute illustrations, lyrical text, and teaching moments like counting and animal identification, this picture book sweetly spotlights the maternal nature of one mother duck—though perhaps she isn’t the best at facial recognition!

Construction Site: Spring Delight / Sherri Duskey Rinker and Ag Ford—Delightful!  The board book version I read had flaps you could lift that made the story even more fun and interactive.  And like the first book in the series Goodnight, Goodnight, Construction Site, this one also has great rhyming text and cheerful construction equipment characters.

The Donkey Who Carried a King / R. C. Sproul (illustrated by Chuck Groenink)—This is a theologically sound and well-told kids’ book.  Not as preachy as I expected, with solid storytelling and cute illustrations.  I like how Sproul intertwines multiple donkey stories from Scripture and uses them to tell the story of God’s salvation and instruct both the little boy Reilly and the donkey Davey.

Darkest Night, Brightest Day / Marty Machowski (illustrated by Phil Schorr)—This children’s book has beautiful illustrations that remind me a bit of the graphic novel Bear.  The concept of a two-cover book that you flip after the crucifixion is quite neat, and I especially like the covers with the cutout circles.  The text weaves together earlier passages of Scripture and reminds you what conversations or interactions various people had with Jesus prior to his arrest, crucifixion, and resurrection.  Some of the content errs on the side of conjecture, but I think the holistic approach has its benefits and helped me see people from the Bible and their stories in a more complete light.

Wishing you happy reading and a wonderful Easter!