Easter is a special season – the time we celebrate Jesus’s death, burial, and resurrection! As a Christian teacher and mom, it is my desire to see my students grow in their faith and deepen their relationship with God. The following books are great discussion-starters for the true meaning of Easter and why we celebrate more than Easter bunnies and egg hunts.
Here are 5 of my must-have Easter books to read to kids! I love reading these to my students and my personal kiddos. They are a must-have for your classroom or Sunday school library. These books are also the perfect addition to your little one’s Easter basket as you seek to instill in him/her the idea that Easter is about Jesus and the sacrifice He made on the cross so that we could spend forever with Him!
1. Easter is Coming!
- Easter is Coming! is a fantastic story that goes through different biblical accounts and builds anticipation throughout the story – though sin and darkness dominate, there is hope because “Easter is coming!”
2. The Garden, The Curtain, and the Cross
This beautifully illustrated hardback book, The Garden, the Curtain and the Cross, takes the reader on a journey from the garden of Eden to God’s perfect new creation. Retelling the Easter story through a Bible overview, (focusing on the garden of Eden, the temple curtain, and Jesus’s sacrifice on the cross) children will discover that ‘because of our sin, we can’t go in’ but because of Jesus’ victory on the cross, an even better garden awaits us…
There are two supplemental resources that go with this series:
- A calendar version available so you can count down to Easter with your kids: The Garden, the Curtain and the Cross calendar
- The Garden, the Curtain and the Cross coloring book
3. The Donkey Who Carried a King
I shared about this book on my Palm Sunday Bible Activities blog post but I wanted to mention it here too, because it’s excellent! The is a sweet story about a young donkey who is frustrated with his lack of purpose and excitement in life – until one day he is called on to carry Jesus! Watching Christ go through the Passion Week the donkey learns what it means to be a suffering servant for the glory of God. Buy The Donkey Who Carried a King on Amazon – it will be one you read year after year.
4. Holy Week: An Emotions Primer
If you have babies and toddlers in your home or Sunday School classroom, the Baby Believer series are a must! They have become my all-time favorite baby shower gift – I always keep a couple on hand and pass them out like confetti! This specific book talks through Holy Week (the week of Easter) and the wide range of emotions that were felt as the Easter story unfolds.
5. The Tale of the Three Trees
I saved the best for last! The Tale of the Three Trees is one of my ALL-TIME FAVORITE books and one that I read with my kids multiple times a year. It tells the story of three trees with big dreams. One wishes to be the most beautiful treasure chest in the whole world, the second a strong sailing ship, and the third a long life right on top of the mountain so that he can point people to God. This book masterfully tells the story of Jesus’s life and teaches an important lesson: While their dreams take shape differently than they expected, each get even more than they could have imagined.
Do you have a favorite Easter book? I would love to hear about it!
Another resource that we use each year as a countdown to Easter is the Resurrection Eggs:
This set of plastic eggs contain little items that retells major events in the Easter story. It’s an excellent hands-on tool for reviewing and retelling the Bible story. My kids cheer when we pull these out, year after year. I also always bring it in to my 3rd grade classroom to share it with my students.
