Book Review: The Road to Easter Day

During Lent and Easter I like to read books to my children and my religious education students that explain the true meaning of Easter.  For many kids, it seems like Easter is all about a bunny that leaves plastic eggs filled with candy and nothing more.  So in the interest of teaching the real meaning of Easter, I try to find story books that will capture their hearts and minds with the real story of Easter.

Jan Godfrey and Marcin Piwowarski's The Road to Easter Day is a lovely book that conveys the Easter story with vibrant illustrations.  The story has a certain repetition that is seen throughout the story "along the road, the road to Easter Day."  Children will venture along the road to Easter day as they listen to this story which takes them from Jesus' entry into Jerusalem to his walking along to road to Emmaus.  The story is told through the perspective of a  young boy named Ben.  Ben "looked and listened, he listened and he looked" all along the way and along the way he learns about Jesus--what He did and and said.  The story is very well done and Ben follows along and sees and hears many things which you don't always find in other Easter stories geared to children, such as Peter denying Jesus three times.

I really like the bold illustrations in this book.  They catch your attention.  My toddler has enjoyed looking at the pictures and my older daughters have also remarked that the illustrations are really nice.  They have a look of oil pastels, but I'm sure it's some sort of mixed media composition.  I like that the illustrations showing Jesus carrying his cross and crucified are sensitively done for children.

I'd say this story is ideal for children in pre-K through second grade.  My second grader sat down with this book and read through it and liked it.  She then proceeded to read it to her toddler sister who was happy to stop and look at the pictures.  I suspect my kindergarten religious ed class will enjoy this story since they really liked The Road to Christmas Day.

This book would be great to read during Holy Week to prepare little ones for the joy of Easter, but this book could also be a great addition to an Easter basket for a young child.  I'm looking forward to sharing this book with my students on Passion Sunday.

I was provided with a copy of The Road to Easter Day by the publisher, Pauline Books & Media, in exchange for my honest review.  You can find out more about this book by visiting Pauline Books & Media.