Hip Hop! Picture Books for Easter Bunnies

Although Easter is not a holiday that inspires a lot of great picture books, those that make the grade are as welcome as a solid chocolate rabbit. Here are a few to make your bunnies hop!
From Denys Cazet's I-Can-Read series about those capricious cows come Minnie and Moo to star in their own Easter story, Minnie and Moo: The Attack of the Easter Bunnies. Rumor has it that Mr. Farmer has declared himself too old to be the Easter Bunny for the grandkids this year. Minnie and Moo try unsuccessfully to round up a substitute from the usual suspects, including Elvis the rooster, Hamlet the piglet, assorted sheep, and the least likely bunnyhood candidates of all, Zack and Zeke, the dim-bulb turkeys.

"It's a kind of spring party for the new year," said Moo. "The egg is a sign of new life."
Zeke looked at Zack. "I'll be darned. Did you know that?"
"I didn't even know that bunnies laid eggs," said Zack.

Not ones to stand around chewing the cud while kids pine for their Easter eggs, Minnie and Moo suit up in their (extra-large) substitute bunny ensembles, only to find that the usual suspects have had a change of mind--and costume. What follows is a parade of Easter cows, Easter pigs, frisking sheep, an Easter rooster, and two turkeys trying to look like they're laying Easter eggs. Grandpa Farmer gets credit for the whole scene, and a hopping good time is had by all.

An Easter story which has entertained three generations of kids is Priscilla and Otto Friedrich's The Easter Bunny That Overslept, now in its third edition. When the Easter Bunny sleeps straight through Easter and wakes on Mothers' Day, he finds that he has a lot of product to unload. No one wants eggs on Mothers' Day, so the Bunny updates their image with a little red, white, and blue paint for Independence Day. It's a no sale on July 4 either, but our Bunny keeps trying move those eggs onto the market, with a lot of holiday fun along the way.

"'Twas the night before Easter, just before dawn/Not a creature was stirring out on the lawn." But wide awake and waiting for the Easter Bunny's arrival, two kids watch the Bunny hide his eggs and dispense the baskets that make Easter special. If your kids know "A Visit from St. Nicholas" by heart, they'll get a giggle out of The Night Before Easter.

For toddlers the best choice is My First Easter, a board book by Caldecott winner Tomie dePaola. In this attractive little book, a family with four children color eggs, dress up in their Sunday best, and enjoy Easter lilies, Easter baskets, and lots of newborn baby animals. It's a beautiful little book that will put a spring in your step and spring in your heart as you share it with little ones.