Christ-Centered Easter Picture Books + Activities

 These are books we have been reading to prepare out hearts for Easter. They are all very different from one other. Some skip over certain parts of the story for brevity sake, while others focus on a certain part of the story. I feel like they are all Scripturally-sound books that have helped my son understand the true meaning of Easter while he's so young. Of course, no picture book or even Bible storybook can replace the authority of the actual Bible, but I think these are wonderful additions for kids to understand the Easter story. You as the reader can decide if you want to add or take away any part while reading aloud, as you see fit. Hopefully you can find some of these at your local library before Easter, so you can have a few new titles to read with your little ones! Used book websites like AbesBook.com may have them for a cheaper price than Amazon or other retailers. I will include a link if there is a YouTube video of someone reading it aloud, which is a great option if you don't have access to the book, but want to read it/have it read to you and your child, or if you want to pre-read it to see if you want to buy it!

The Easter Fix (Steph Williams)

Simple, short, and easy to understand for young children. It briefly summarizes the Easter story (doesn’t go into specific events, but focuses on Jesus’s death and resurrection) and focuses on what Jesus care to fix (our sin problem), how He did it, and why it makes everything better. HERE is a YouTube reading of this book

Age recommendation: young toddlers to preschool

The Donkey Who Carried A King (R.C. Sproul, illustrations by Chuck Grornink)

Theologian, author, professor, and preacher, R.C. Sproul was always amazing at bringing big theological truths from the seminary atmosphere down to the everyday Christian. Here, he imagines a story about the donkey Jesus rode on for Palm Sunday, sandwiching it within a contemporary story of a sad boy who never gets picked on teams by his peers. Creative and beautiful, especially when listening to the audiobook (read by Sproul) while following along with the physical book. HERE is a YouTube read-aloud of the story.

Age recommendation: long, so probably best for preschoolers through elementary, depending on attention level (though it can be read during several sittings)

Benjamin's Box: A Resurrection Story (written by Melody Carlson, illustrated by Jack Stockman)

A beautiful story set during Passion Week (Palm Sunday to Resurrection Sunday/Easter) about a boy who witnesses all the events and saves little objects in his treasure box to remember. This perfectly accompanied the Resurrection Eggs, so we read it while looking at the eggs. HERE is a YouTube read-aloud.

Age recommendation: a long story, so probably best for preschool through grade school, depending on attention level (though it can be broken down to several readings)

A Very Happy Easter (Tim Thornborough; illustrations by Jennifer Davison)

We love Tim's creative retellings of Bible stories, which always have a fun twist to make it more interactive for kids. This one tells the Easter story, from the Triumphant Entry of Palm Sunday to the Resurrection, and focuses on the emotions everyone felt. Kids are encouraged to copy the faces they see and to think about how they would have felt, from the excitement of Jesus entering Jerusalem on a donkey to scared friends of Jesus when he was put on the cross to die, to the confused women at the empty tomb, to happy disciples when Jesus appeared to them. The illustrations are darling and capture each emotion perfectly. HERE is a YouTube video of the story read aloud with the author making the facial expressions!

Age recommendation: young toddler through Kinder

Holy Week: An Emotions Primer (by Danielle Hitchen; illustrations by Jessica Blanchard)

I love this Baby Believer board book series and own most of the collection now. This one is focused on emotions displayed during the week leading to Easter, such as the overwhelming sorrow of Jesus in the garden (“Not my will, but Yours..”, surprised women at the empty tomb, scared soldiers at the foot of the cross after the earthquake, etc. There is just the emotion and a Bible verse that accompanies each illustrated page, so you can just read it as-is for babies, or add on narration about the Easter story, using the illustrations and Bible verses as a springboard to deeper conversation. HERE is a YouTube read-aloud

Age recommendation: infant to preschool

The Very First Easter (The Beginner's Bible) (Kelly Pulley)

If you already have The Beginner's Bible, you really don't need this book since it is almost identical (I think a page of illustrations is added on), but we have both since we received this as a gift. The last two years during the week leading up to Easter, my son requests it over and over  again since it is the Easter book he received from his Nana along with the Resurrection Eggs she made for him. So whenever he wants to go through each egg (that each have a small item inside symbolizing different parts of the Easter story), he wants this book. The simple text and illustrations are great for young children as well as new readers. It goes through the Biblical account of Holy Week in short phrases that are easy to understand. HERE is a YouTube read-aloud video 

Age recommendation: Young toddler through kinder 

He Is Risen: Rock Tell the Story of Easter (Patty Rokus)

This is an incredibly creative book with the Easter story told through photographs of rocks positioned to creative scenes. There is sparse text on each page, so I add in my own narration. We love this book as well as the Christmas counterpart, A Savior is Born. HERE is an amazing YouTube video by the author with animations of the rocks being put together during the story! SO COOL!

Age recommendation: Young toddler through kinder

The Quiet/Crazy Easter Day (story by Jill Roman Lord and illustrated by Kelly Breemer)

Focuses on the noises the animals could have made while celebrating the resurrection of Jesus. It doesn't focus on the Easter narrative, so it would be a good addition to other books that actually focus on the Easter story. It's a great one for young children who love animal sounds. HERE is a YouTube read-aloud

Age recommendation: infant to preschool

The Tale of Three Trees (story by Angela Hunt; illustrated by Tim Jonke)

Beautiful folktale about three trees who wanted to be extraordinary wooden objects  when they were cut down. Instead, they were chopped down to make three humble things, a manger, a fishing boat, and a cross, that were used for different parts of Jesus’ life. HERE is a YouTube read-aloud

Age recommendation: Toddler to elementary. 

The Donkey That No One Could Ride (Anthony DeStefano; illustrations by Richard Cowdrey)

A great picture book for Palm Sunday and Easter. It focuses on the donkey that Jesus rode into Jerusalem, and the author imagined the donkey was weak and sad until he was healed by Jesus and given a special mission to carry Jesus into Jerusalem. My son loved the story. We talked about fact vs fiction (the author’s creative license compared to the Biblical account) so I don’t think he was confused about the story; we just enjoyed it as a sweet story based on something that really happened. HERE is the YouTube video with the author's narration!

Age recommendation:  It’s a bit long, so probably best for preschool to kinder 

The Legend of the Easter Egg (Lori Walburg)

A sweet story about a boy who is sent away when his sister get sick with scarlet fever. During Easter week, he experiences the true meaning of Easter and learns how Easter eggs can remind us of the empty tomb.  HERE is the YouTube read-aloud we enjoy!

Age recommendation: preschool to kinder 

The Garden, the Curtain, and the Cross: The True Story of Why Jesus Died and Rose Again (Carl Laferton; illustrations by Catalina Echeverri)

This creative and well-written book takes a meta-narrative approach to the Easter story by looking at the whole Bible, from the Genesis to Exodus and how we are invited to be part of His story. It was  bit high-level for my son at 3 years old and I had to explain a lot of the more complex writing. I am looking forward to reading it this week since he is 4.5 and will likely understand more.  I love the whole-Bible approach to explaining why Easter is important to us. I bought the Easter Calendar that comes with a family Bible devotional, so I will use it the next two weeks as we read a few pages of the story again at a time long with the devotional, dig deeper in the meaning. The first two days have gone really well so far. The illustrations are pretty cartoonish yet creative. HERE is the YouTube video, narrated by the illustrator! 

Age recommendation: kinder and up (preschoolers may be ready for it if its broken down to several readings and certain parts explained) 

Miracle Man: The Story of Jesus (John Hendrix)

An incredibly creative way to tell the story of Jesus work on earth, focusing on His miracles, crucifixion, and resurrection. It's very artistic, with hand-lettering and unique illustrations to visually tell the story. It referred to Jesus as The Man and the Miracle Man until the very last page, when He was named "God's Son. Jesus, the Miracle Man", which was just really powerful (although, honestly, at first I kept wondering why His name wasn't mentioned earlier, but then when it did, WOW). The author has a note at the end saying that he used creative license to make it his own version, such as not using direct quotations from the Bible, but summarizing His teachings within the dialogue." There is a read-along DVD available with the book (both available at my local public library, which is how I found it), which further brings the stories alive. HERE is a YouTube read-aloud. Unfortunately the DVD version from the author I mentioned isn't on Youtube

Age recommendation: preschool through elementary (a bit long, so we broke it up in half so we didn't read it all in one sitting with my 3.5 year old and it worked great and kept his attention).

Easter in the Garden (Pamela Kennedy, illustrated by David Wenzel)

Sweet story about a gardener’s son, Micah,  who is up in a tree on Easter morning when he sees Mary and the other women heading to Jesus’ grave. A great way to help kids imagine what they would have done if they were Micah or another child witnessing the events of Easter.  HERE is a read-aloud on Youtube 

Age recommendation: preschool to kinder

The Light of the World: The Life of Jesus for Children (Katherine Paterson)

The author of the beloved Bridge to Terabithea wrote this amazing book that spans Jesus's birth through His resurrection. The illustrations are stunning and remind me of masterpieces instead of cartoonish artwork for kids (which definitely is fine, but this stood out and may make it more approachable for older kids who don't like cartoonish illustrations anymore). The book focuses on Jesus as the light of the world, and this symbol really makes the book shine (pun intended) and brought up sweet conversations with my son. HERE is a read-aloud video

Age recommendation: preschool through elementary (a bit long, so we broke it up in half so we didn't read it all in one sitting with my 3.5 year old and it worked great and kept his attention).

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Activities/ Traditions that Can Accompany Picture Books

2022

My son is really into acting stories out and using props for visuals. Whether toys, stuffed animals, or random items around the house, we find a way to incorporate props into our read-alouds to help him better understand and feel he's part of the story. He's a bit of a method actor, which makes reading fun. Here are some activities we have done the two weeks leading up to Easter the last two years that help to bring the events of Holy Week to life. Please don't feel like you need to do these; I am just listing them in case there is something you want to try out from the list:

Plant a Resurrection Garden: we sprinkle chia seeds a few weeks before Easter in soil and lightly cover it with soil on top. We try to remember to water it every day or two. We found twigs in the grass to create crosses. I found a small set of tiny terracotta pots and used one as the tomb and my son found a rock for the large stone. Pinterest has a ton of tutorials for this. It's an easy and fun way to talk about Easter. My son enjoyed using our Nativity set in the Resurrection Garden (Joseph was now Jesus and Mary, Mother of Jesus, was now Mary Magdalene). 

2023's Resurrection Garden with the peg people I made

2024 Resurrection Garden 

Makeshift Easter Set for Narrating Story: As mentioned, I re-used our beloved Little People Nativity set to narrate different events from Holy Week the last two years. For Palm Sunday, we used blocks to create Jerusalem and I tied a rubber band around Joseph (now Jesus) to the donkey so he could look like he was riding it. The wise men became townspeople calling out "Hosanna!" with fake flowers from the house as palm leaves. You can really use anything you have at home: dolls, stuffed animals, or if you and your kids are crafty, draw your own and cut them out to use. Last year, I had a set of wooden peg dolls I used paint and Sharpies, so that was fun to have a dedicated set for Easter (though we still used the Little People set as well). He plays with them while I read sometimes, and other times we pull them out after we've read a book and use them to re-tell the story, which helps with memory and comprehension. Last year, my son used Legos to recreate different Easter scenes as well, which was really fun to see.

Resurrection Eggs: My mother-in-law made us a set and my son LOVED them. Pinterest has DIY tutorials or you can buy a set on Amazon. Basically, each of the dozen eggs has an object inside that corresponds to a card that walks you through the events of Holy Week. The first egg has a donkey (Palm Sunday), another has a tiny loaf of bread (Last Supper), another has a linen cloth and so on. We read The Very First Easter and open each egg on the corresponding page that matches up, though you can use any Easter book. 

Lent Candles and devotional: Throughout the seven weeks leading up to Easter, I have six candles on a plate resting on a "crown of thorns" (a grapevine wreath). Starting with the 6th Sunday from Easter, all candles are lit. Then, each Sunday during dinner, I read a short Bible verse and a catechism statement about why Jesus died on the cross (one week it is: to disarm the power of death, sin, and the devil. Another Sunday it is "to show His love for us" and so on). We review those statements all week before starting a new one the next Sunday. On Good Friday, all the lights are blown out and I turn off all the lights in the house after 3pm (when Bible scholars believe He died and the sky darkened) so we can feel the darkness as a visual reminder of what sin without Jesus looks like in our hearts. On Easter morning, I light all the candles. Also, whenever my son blows out the candles every Sunday after our devotional, he screams out "Jesus is the light!", which he loves to do. 

Maundy Thursday: I love this tradition for Maundy Thursday, which is the day the Church celebrates The Last Supper. We read about how Jesus washed the disciples feet after the Last Supper, talk about serving one another, we thank each other for serving us, then we wash one another's feet. My son really loves this too, and I teared up as my toddler gently washed my feet last year. I can hardly wait to do it again as a family of four. We also have a Mediterranean-themed meal and I have grape juice and hummus or crackers to symbolize taking the Lord's Supper together. We will also end the evening by saying a little prayer by our Resurrection Garden to imitate Jesus praying in the Garden of Gethsemane. Acting out the pivotal parts of this day helps kids (and us adults as well) sit with the heaviness of that day, which then leads into Good Friday. 

Using Rocks as Symbols for Easter: As mentioned above, we love using shaping rocks into different scenes from the Easter stories while reading He Is Risen: Rocks Tell the Story of Easter since the illustrations are all creatively created from rocks. But this year I want to try something else too that is rock-related. On Good Friday, we will go on a nature walk in the nearby woods with a basket and collect as many rocks as we can hold in the basket. It will be heavy, and we'll talk about how our sins are heavy. At first, one rock (sin) doesn't feel like a big deal, but they weigh us down as more sin burdens us. We will find a table we can lay the rocks at in our home (where my 1.5 year old can't grab them) and place a red dishcloth over them to symbolize Jesus' blood covering our sin (atonement). It will be a visual reminder all of Good Friday and Saturday. Then on Easter morning, I will remove the rocks and red dishcloth and replace them with their easter baskets to symbolize the joy of Jesus' resurrection. 

Acts of Kindness: Part of the Lenten season, along with fasting and praying is generosity. Many people who observe Lent will give financially to noble causes. One way to practice generosity that we did this year is putting together care packages for the homeless. My son wrote "God loves you" on cards and I wrote a little note inside. We placed a water bottle, soap, toothbrush, toothpaste, and mouth wash, a Gospel tract, a granola bar, and an apple inside. Whenever we see a homeless person on the side of the road the next few weeks, we will hand them one of the bags and tell them we are praying for them. Another act of kindness we did last year is "egging" my son's friend's houses in the neighborhood by hiding plastic eggs in their front yard for them to find later in the day (I tell the moms we will be doing this ahead of time). My son loves being stealthy while he hides them. He loves his friends and enjoys the fact that he's doing something nice for them. Lastly, we also try to drop off flowers (like an Easter lily) for an elderly woman in our neighborhood. 

Admire masterpieces that depict parts of the Easter story: We will repeat a gentle art study we did last year during the week of Easter. On Maundy Thursday, while having tea and a snack, we will look at The Last Supper by Leonardo de Vinci. On Good Friday we will look at The Raising of the Cross by Rembrandt, and the week after Easter we will look at Supper at Emmaus by Caravaggio. We basically just talk about what we see in a casual way. I may ask "what emotions do you see on the faces of the people in the painting?" For  The Lord's Supper, we had fun trying to guess which disciple was which in the painting (I had to look it up online because I was curious). We talk about why we think the artists used dark colors, what mood is feels like, and if we want, we try to recreate it with our own watercolors. 

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Have you read any of these books? Do you have any favorite Easter books? Are there any Easter traditions you are looking forward to repeating this year?