Easter Elf: Surprise!

As late as the holiday is this year, it's natural to imagine gathering armloads of blossoms, romping through blades of grass and buzzing bees, searching our garden for Easter eggs, and posing for pictures in spring finery while basking in Sunday's sunshine. Instead, you may be  tsk-tsk-ing at the snow, at flooded puddles, and at still-brown foliage in your yard. It's been a bummer of a spring so far, that's for sure.

But don't give up hope on Easter. 

It's all about renewal and hope and moving forward.

And Easter IS coming in just a few days, no matter what the weather. 

So, even though I can't promise sunshine, I'll offer up a brand new Easter tale, one that will lift your spirits and that kids will relish. 

KWiL Publishing, 2019

EASTER ELF is the debut picture book offering of author Rochelle Groskreutz and is illustrated by Leah Danz DiPasquale. 

The premise is a clever one, proposing that Easter has always had its own set of hardworking elfin helpers, but they have simply lacked the public relations efforts of Santa's elves. Full bleed pages and text layout awash in pastel and saturated seasonal colors provide a feast for our winter-dulled eyes. Lively Easter elves are preparing for the big day, dressed in springtime T-shirts and shorts, bunny slippers. and rabbit-eared elf caps. These characters are Easter eggs-perts, offering up pun-filled prose that will have kids and parents chuckling. Apart from gaining some long overdue attention for their annual hard work, the pre-season preparation stress ramps up when Santa's Christmas elves un-eggs-pectedly land and gum up their Easter routines. 

Along with the word play, there are plenty of laughs and visual antics to entertain. Throughout the action an important story about competition, acceptance, cooperation and building friendships emerges before everything is finally sorted out. This delightful soon-to-be-classic is widely available and makes a delightful addition to Easter baskets. It's a wonderful way to prepare for the big day with advance read-alouds with your kids and grandkids. 

When the weather finally invites you outdoors to celebrate spring, keep your eyes peeled for some of these Easter elves. They've been around for generations, it seems, but now we finally know what they look like!

You might also want to take another look at HOW TO TRACK AN EASTER BUNNY by Sue Fliess, reviewed HERE, and BORROWING BUNNIES: A Surprising True Tale of Fostering Rabbits, by Cynthia Lord, reviewed HERE. 

I'm proud to say that both Groskreutz and DiPasquale are Wisconsin friends of mine, but I'd be singing the praises of this lively addition to the holiday season even if they were total strangers.

Potential Bunny Pets? Read BORROWING BUNNIES First!

Popping in here with an important (and lovable) book for the Spring/Easter season. 

Farrar Straus Giroux, 2019

BORROWING BUNNIES: A Surprising True Tale of Fostering Rabbits is written by award-winning novelist Cynthia Lord, with photography by John Bald and Illustrations by Hazel Mitchell. 
Let's just agree, photos of bunnies deserve five stars and raves.
No arguing, I said.
If you don't believe me, get your hands on this book and see for yourself. 
Now, on to a discussion of the book.
This is a nonfiction, how-to book that serves as mentor text for young writers (of any age, actually), and also models practical and accessible back matter. The photos, illustration enhancements, and details of a particular fostered bunny pair will have you AW-ing at every page turn. Who on this planet would not AW and OOH at newborn bunnies that look like miniature hippos, at babies named for Dickens characters, and at happy rabbits twist-jumping in a move called a "binky". 
That's real!
Just be sure to make that final page turn to the back matter after the ooh-ing and aw-ing are over. The title of that page poses this important question: 

DO YOU WANT YOUR OWN RABBIT FOR KEEPS? 

(Who wouldn't, after reading this book?)

Some simple cautions and guides provide parents with questions and answers that will make sense to little ones: 

• Is anyone in the household allergic? (Enough said.)
• Are there very young siblings in the home? (Waiting is advised, for everyone's sake.)
• Do you have time for a rabbit? (even after the novelty wears off?)
• Will you care for it throughout its long life? (8-12 years!)
• Do you have enough money for a rabbit? (Supplies, food, veterinary care?)
• Can you keep your rabbit safe? 

This is a  must-have book for anyone considering having a bunny as a pet, but also a must-have for nonfiction collections in libraries, classrooms, and homes.

Before you even consider buying a bunny (or chick or other baby animal) to tuck into an Easter basket or offer as a gift for other seasonal celebrations, PLEASE research and be realistic about the needs of the animals involved. This is a perfect example of how research can be fun, and a reminder that there are other outlets than ownership for animal lovers. Kids are often welcome to volunteer as caregivers, fosters, walkers, petters, and such. More research could yield great solutions, since this book doesn't go into such details.
If you hope to proceed to ownership AFTER (and only after) serious investigation, I strongly recommend adoption of rescue animals rather than pet shop purchases. That should be your next stage of research. 
So, with Easter still a month away, I'm sharing this post into the ether in advance of last minute impulse buying!