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.

How to Track an Easter Bunny: Get a Jump on the Holiday!

It's never too soon to build excitement for the visiting Easter Bunny, at least as far as prolific picture book author Sue Fliess is concerned. Her latest, HOW TO TRACK AN EASTER BUNNY released early in February, even getting a jump on Mardi Gras! 
In this holiday charmer, Fliess relies on her knack for writing read-aloud rhyming text to create an appealing how-to book. Then she provides interesting back matter about the origins of the Easter Bunny tradition, adds a craft idea woven with academic connections, then follows with suggestions for STEM activities. (Science Technology Engineering Math). 
The early launch allows plenty of time to engage young readers with the simple text and related activities well in advance of the holiday. After even a few re-read-alouds the young ones will be chiming in on rhyming words. 
The initial premise is that a clever Easter Bunny may hide eggs and other goodies so well that they could be left undiscovered on Easter morning. Simple steps explain and illustrations support directions for how to make a "nest" for EB (Easter Bunny), including enticements and construction procedures. A trail of carrots guarantees that EB will pause in her pursuits to discover the nest and take a brief break there before hiding the goodies. (SPOILER ALERT>>>)
The finishing touch to the nest is a generous application of glitter. Everyone knows that glitter clings to everything and leaves a trail, which is the point of this project. The story resolves as expected and the diverse group of siblings/friends resist the impulse to catch EB in the act, allowing her to continue on to the next eager home. 

Fliess has an ear for rhyme and a heart for young audiences. (Previous reviews here and  here.) Illustrator Simona Sanfilippo saturates each spread with the exuberant colors of spring, suggesting action and momentum with broad sweeping strokes and lightly interprets the excitement and energy of the characters. 
I enjoyed reading this holiday picture book and can imagine plenty of young folks who will respond eagerly to the story and to the suggested activities. 

The publisher provided a copy of the book for my review with no expectations about content.