The Book Grandma Reads The Story of the First Easter Bunny

Amanda Lauer and her granddaughter review a new picture book by Anthony DeStefano.

As a grandmother to eight, I always enjoy reviewing children’s books for Catholic Mom. I was especially pleased to have the opportunity to read The Story of the First Easter Bunny by Anthony DeStefano because I’ve enjoyed his children’s books for years. One of my favorites is the beautifully illustrated Our Lady’s Wardrobe. The illustrations in this Easter book, by New York Times best-selling artist Richard Cowdrey, are also top-notch.  

I got to do a test run on this book with our soon-to-be 3-year-old granddaughter. She was immediately drawn to the adorable bunny on the cover. She patiently sat on my lap as I read the book through the first time, she listened to the words, and then commented on each picture.   

This topic, the death and Resurrection of Jesus, is not an easy one to cover for children, especially someone my granddaughter’s age who doesn’t understand the concept of persecution or death. That being said, she pointed out items on each page that caught her attention.   

She was concerned about the bunny’s mama who was sick (and convalescing in a relatively modern house from my perspective). She could point out Jesus at the Last Supper. She noticed when the little bunny was sad. She was quite concerned about the close-up picture of the people yelling when Jesus was on the cross (“Why are they mad?”). She found Jesus’ mother Mary in the crowd. She was interested in the crown of thorns on Jesus’ head. She was intrigued by the picture of the little bunny pulling his mother to the Man. She was worried about the mama bunny who wasn’t looking good toward the end of the book. She was impressed by the angel opening the tomb. She was very happy to see Jesus walk from the tomb and glad when he picked up the mama bunny and made her well again.  

Did I mention that she’s a bright and verbose 2.75-year-old? She’s adept at verbalizing what’s on her mind. You can really see her forming thoughtful questions and absorbing the answers that I gave her. In the time since we received the book, she has requested that someone read it to her multiple times every day. If that’s the sign of a good story, then I’d say that Anthony DeStafano has done a wonderful job with The Story of the First Easter Bunny. 

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Copyright 2024 Amanda Lauer
Images: Canva