Books for the Kids' Easter Baskets

Barb Szyszkiewicz recommends children's books to tuck behind the chocolate bunny in this year's Easter basket.

When our kids were younger, we always made sure their Easter baskets contained a new book alongside the peanut-butter eggs and chocolate bunnies (none of them like jelly beans ... more for me, I guess!). While I don't have small children at home anymore, I still love checking out new books for kids of all ages. Take a look at some new children's books, organized by topic.

Board Book: The Story of Jesus

Jesus Savior of the World by Sr. Marlyn Evangelina Monge, FSP and illustrated by Mary Rojas. Review Jesus' life, from His birth to the Ascension, with this sweet board book that's perfect for your toddler. The book places Jesus in the context of the Holy Family, showing the Nativity, the Presentation in the Temple, and the story of Jesus lost in the Temple, then recounts how Jesus helped others to show how much God loves us, ending with the events of Holy Week, Easter, and the Ascension, all presented in a cute (not scary) way. 14 pages, for toddlers and up; published by Pauline Kids.

Picture Books: The Wonders of God's Creation

What Did God Make? by Heather Henning and Alison Atkins is a lift-the-flap book that retells the story of Creation. The cartoon-style illustrations are colorful and fun, with plenty of friendly-looking animals to engage your little one. As you read the story, you can help your child find and identify the many animals featured on the sturdy cardboard pages of this book. 24 pages, for toddlers and up; published by Pauline Kids.

Colors of Creation by Paul Thigpen and illustrated by John Folley also retells the biblical Creation story. In this creative spin on a favorite theme, the author uses color to demonstrate how God, the Master Artist, paints the canvas of earth and sky. The book begins with the color black, representing silent, empty space, and one by one the colors are added as light, water, earth, plants, animals, and people are created. Even the illustration style picks up on the artist theme, as the pictures evoke the style of oil paintings. 32 pages, for preschool and up; published by TAN Books.

The same author-illustrator team also created God's Wildest Wonderment of All. In this sweet picture book, a little boy visits the zoo with his family and wonders about the unusual animals he sees there. In rhyme, the child thinks about the fascinating and puzzling creatures in the zoo, and in the end remembers the most wondrous creature God ever made. This book will enchant young children who love animals. 32 pages, for preschool and up; published by TAN Books.

Children's books to tuck behind the chocolate bunny in this year's Easter basket. #catholicmom

Picture Books: Prayer and the Church

Listening for God: Silence Practice for Little Ones by Katie Warner and illustrated by Amy Rodriguez is a read-aloud book designed to help children practice being silent so they can listen to God in prayer. Inspired by the story of Elijah, who heard God not in the thunderous sounds of earthquakes, crackling fires, or whistling of a strong wind, but in the quiet, the book leads young children through short practice exercises to help them strengthen their ability to quiet their bodies, minds, and tongues for a few moments at a time. 32 pages; published by TAN Books.

God Gave Us Prayer by Lisa Tawn Bergren and illustrated by David Hohn, a longer picture book, tells the story of a family of dogs; Mama and Papa answer Little Pup's many questions about prayer. Little Pup and his friends learn about the different ways to pray (adoration, contrition, thanksgiving, and supplication).  Sweet illustrations of various animals accompany the story -- a favorite of mine is the family of opossum hanging from a tree branch, accompanied by the question, "Can he hear us when we're upside down?" Many sample prayers with prompts for young children to fill in their own prayers bring the message home. 56 pages; published by WaterBrook.

This is the Church by Katie Warner and illustrated by Meg Whalen, follows the style of the nursery rhyme, "The House that Jack Built," with each new sentence (on a two-page spread) building on the one before, in a cadence that's perfect for a quick read-aloud. Illustrations use the colors in stained-glass windows to spotlight significant events in the life of Christ and the Church. Each page brings home that the Catholic Church was founded by Christ to share God's love with the world, and that's not a message that can be repeated too often. 24 pages; published by TAN Books.

Books for Independent Readers

Divine Mercy for Children: A Guided Tour of the Museum of Mercy by Vinny Flynn with Brian Kennelly explains the concept of Divine Mercy and the messages received by St. Faustina Kowalska and written in her Diary in an accessible format for upper-elementary and middle-school readers. In this book, the reader goes on an imaginary museum tour room by room, and kid-friendly images like funhouse mirrors and creatively-placed spotlights help bring difficult concepts to life. Written in a conversational, never patronizing tone, the book concludes with practical ways kids can practice devotion to Divine Mercy. Full instructions on praying the Divine Mercy Chaplet are also included, as is a full-color image of the Divine Mercy painting. 128 pages, for readers age 8 to 14; published by TAN Books.

Our Friends in Heaven by the Daughters of St. Paul and illustrated by Tim Foley is a 2-volume saint-a-day devotional book series; each book is sold separately. Volume 1 covers January through June, Volume 2 is for July through December. The back cover copy reads, "If you read one story every day, you will have made many new friends in heaven by the end of the year!" I love this way of looking at the saints.  Each daily saint's story is just under two pages long and ends with a prayer. This would be an excellent Confirmation gift. Because of the advanced vocabulary in these books, I'd recommend them for readers 9 and up. Each book is more than 300 pages long and contains an index of saints that references both volumes; published by Pauline Books & Media.

Copyright 2021 Barb Szyszkiewicz
Image: Canva Pro
This article contains Amazon affiliate links; your purchases through these links benefit the author.