Series
Status
Available
Call number
Publication
Colorado Springs, Colo. : WaterBrook Press, c2012.
Physical description
23 cm
User reviews
LibraryThing member Bandings
[See additional reviews from Bandings' family members after primary review]
For a family that has raised their child(ren) in a traditional Christian setting, the book "God Gave Us Easter" is a possible addition to a child's library. It discusses the "Why" of Easter (the resurrection of Jesus making
Every part of the story seems to be Biblically based, and is clearly an attempt on the part of the author to explain a concept that many adults find difficult to understand and believe. There is nothing in the story that is not Biblical, though verses are paraphrased to make the story flow rather than quoted directly from the Bible. I especially like the author's way of explaining prayer as listening to Jesus speak to our hearts.
The book's illustrations are well done, adding to rather than detracting from the story. The illustrator chose to use bears to represent people; the story primarily takes place as an ongoing conversation between Papa Bear and Little Bear. Other than clearly identifying Papa, the bears are mostly depicted as genderless; I was surprised on page 20 when Little Bear was for the first time given a female gender; I'd been thinking of Little Bear as a boy. As an author, this caught my attention; a child may not even notice the sudden identification of a girl as the main character. I found it distracting that after referring to "Little Bear" suddenly there was "she" and "her". Since the author found it possible to go 20 pages without identifying gender, I thought that should have carried through to the end of the book.
I would don't know that I would buy other books by this author; if I did, I would keep in mind that they should likely go to families who have been teaching their children Biblical concepts, or to someone who is capable of explaining further if the child has additional questions about what is presented.
It is because unchurched children may have a difficult time understanding the book that I did not give it five stars. I believe the book has a limited rather than universal audience. If a new believer, for instance, wanted a book about Easter to introduce the concept for the first time to a child, I do not think "God Gave Us Easter" would be the right book to choose as an introduction to Easter.
ADDITONAL REVIEWS BY FAMILY MEMBERS
From Sister, age 57, mom/grandmother: "What is the author trying to do, go through the whole Bible?" (Spontaneous comment when finding not only the Root of Jesse but Noah's Ark in the book about Easter.) "I would not buy this book. It's awful (referring to the multiple topics). I would give it one star." Sister also had concerns about the page describing us as being part of "Something Bigger"; she read it as a cultish concept.
From Niece, 30, soon-to-be-mom: "Too many different subjects. I would not read this to my child. One star."
From Niece's husband, 34, soon-to-be-dad: "Incongruent. Leaps from subject to subject. I would not get this for my child. Two stars."
For a family that has raised their child(ren) in a traditional Christian setting, the book "God Gave Us Easter" is a possible addition to a child's library. It discusses the "Why" of Easter (the resurrection of Jesus making
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possible the salvation of all who believe), though this is almost hidden within the bigger story. There are only a few pages of this book (32 pages of text & Illustrations) that directly address Easter. There are other concepts introduced on the following pages, including becoming part of "Something Bigger", references to the Root of Jesse and Noah's Ark, and prayer, all topics that are related peripherally to the Easter story. A child who has attended a Sunday School or who has parents who have introduced these concepts to the child might accept the abrupt changes in topic as the child would have some familiarity with what is presented. However, a child who has no foundation for understanding would likely find the concepts difficult to follow, let alone understand. Every part of the story seems to be Biblically based, and is clearly an attempt on the part of the author to explain a concept that many adults find difficult to understand and believe. There is nothing in the story that is not Biblical, though verses are paraphrased to make the story flow rather than quoted directly from the Bible. I especially like the author's way of explaining prayer as listening to Jesus speak to our hearts.
The book's illustrations are well done, adding to rather than detracting from the story. The illustrator chose to use bears to represent people; the story primarily takes place as an ongoing conversation between Papa Bear and Little Bear. Other than clearly identifying Papa, the bears are mostly depicted as genderless; I was surprised on page 20 when Little Bear was for the first time given a female gender; I'd been thinking of Little Bear as a boy. As an author, this caught my attention; a child may not even notice the sudden identification of a girl as the main character. I found it distracting that after referring to "Little Bear" suddenly there was "she" and "her". Since the author found it possible to go 20 pages without identifying gender, I thought that should have carried through to the end of the book.
I would don't know that I would buy other books by this author; if I did, I would keep in mind that they should likely go to families who have been teaching their children Biblical concepts, or to someone who is capable of explaining further if the child has additional questions about what is presented.
It is because unchurched children may have a difficult time understanding the book that I did not give it five stars. I believe the book has a limited rather than universal audience. If a new believer, for instance, wanted a book about Easter to introduce the concept for the first time to a child, I do not think "God Gave Us Easter" would be the right book to choose as an introduction to Easter.
ADDITONAL REVIEWS BY FAMILY MEMBERS
From Sister, age 57, mom/grandmother: "What is the author trying to do, go through the whole Bible?" (Spontaneous comment when finding not only the Root of Jesse but Noah's Ark in the book about Easter.) "I would not buy this book. It's awful (referring to the multiple topics). I would give it one star." Sister also had concerns about the page describing us as being part of "Something Bigger"; she read it as a cultish concept.
From Niece, 30, soon-to-be-mom: "Too many different subjects. I would not read this to my child. One star."
From Niece's husband, 34, soon-to-be-dad: "Incongruent. Leaps from subject to subject. I would not get this for my child. Two stars."
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LibraryThing member itsJUSTme
This is such a sweet story. It is very cute and written in a language that is easy to understand even for very young children. I would love to get the rest of this series.
You can't talk about this book without also mentioning the pictures. They are gorgeous, soft drawings that really add to the
All in all this is a beautifully written and illustrated book about how God gave us Easter. This would make a great read-a-loud story for your children or grandchildren.
You can't talk about this book without also mentioning the pictures. They are gorgeous, soft drawings that really add to the
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story.All in all this is a beautifully written and illustrated book about how God gave us Easter. This would make a great read-a-loud story for your children or grandchildren.
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LibraryThing member polarmath
When I saw a new book was coming out in this series, I immediately put it on my wish list and then even better I won one to review. The illustrations are great and it tells a good story that can springboard to other discussions. I really enjoy reading her books and look forward to the next one.
LibraryThing member LadyD_Books
It's amazing how the author can take a complex thought, like the meaning of Easter and break it down in a simple way so that children can understand why God gave us Easter. Little Cub and his sister have a fun time talking about the Easter bunny and candy, but there's so many sensitive questions
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children need to talk about, like letting go and moving on and Lisa Tawn Bergren answers them tenderly, yet so skillfully. I especially like the part about Little Cub hearing the voice of Jesus. Show Less
LibraryThing member antmusic
Another great adition to the God Gave Us series. Excellent polar bear illutrations and a great message will make this a yearly (and year round) favorite.
I received this book from the Library Thing Early Reviewer program.
I received this book from the Library Thing Early Reviewer program.
LibraryThing member ad_astra
I received this book through LibraryThing's Early Reviewers.
Little Cub is celebrating Easter with her family and as she takes a walk with Papa, he explains the meaning of Easter to her.
The illustrations are absolutely lovely. I really enjoyed them. The colors are vivid and the images are sweet.
I
Little Cub is celebrating Easter with her family and as she takes a walk with Papa, he explains the meaning of Easter to her.
The illustrations are absolutely lovely. I really enjoyed them. The colors are vivid and the images are sweet.
I
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did not care for the story. It was told in a very boring, matter-of-fact way. In fact, it came across very preachy to me. The author tries to use the nature that is surrounding the bears to illustrate points in the story but nothing felt cohesive to me. Show Less
LibraryThing member milliebeverly
I received this book from a Librarything.com giveaway. I was excited to receive it, but somewhat disappointed in it once I read it. It is confusing, especially for a child. The author tried to give the overall, broad picture of the Gospel, rather than focus on the actual event of the resurrection
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of Christ. That's not a bad thing, in general, but in a book obviously written for young children, it just results in confusion. Show Less
LibraryThing member msh09
This was a sweet book. I personally didn't enjoy it as much as some of her other books, but my 6-yr-old daughter loved it.
LibraryThing member NancyLuebke
I enjoyed this Christian Children's book. I received this as part of a gift. I voluntarily chose to review this. I've given this a 5* rating. I really like the way this author explains things to the very young. I'm sure my grandchildren will enjoy this.
LibraryThing member mommyonthespectrum
God Gave Us Easter begins with the Easter bunny and chocolate eggs but quickly and briefly redirects back to the main point of Easter: Jesus' death and resurrection. It covers sin and God's forgiveness, and life and death in general. This makes it a good choice for a child who has lost a loved one.
Recommended age: 4-6 years
Writing style: The story is written as a conversation between a Papa bear and its Little Cub. There is a lot of text crammed into the page. It also uses a lot of analogies, like an egg cracking like Jesus' tomb or how a pinecone spreading its seeds to grow a new tree is like the resurrection.
Lexile score: AD5000L
Decoding difficulty: 4/5
Vocabulary difficulty: 4/5
Sentences difficulty: 4/5
Patterns difficulty: 5/5
Illustration style: Beautiful illustrations with good variety. Some are full pages, some are small illustrations between blocks of text, and some have cute borders. The text on many of the full-page illustrations is hard to read.
Reality-based: The story is told by polar bears instead of humans, but the message is correct.
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It also includes the beginning of Noah's Arc and starting new. Overall, this feels more like a general book about God than one about Easter.Recommended age: 4-6 years
Writing style: The story is written as a conversation between a Papa bear and its Little Cub. There is a lot of text crammed into the page. It also uses a lot of analogies, like an egg cracking like Jesus' tomb or how a pinecone spreading its seeds to grow a new tree is like the resurrection.
Lexile score: AD5000L
Decoding difficulty: 4/5
Vocabulary difficulty: 4/5
Sentences difficulty: 4/5
Patterns difficulty: 5/5
Illustration style: Beautiful illustrations with good variety. Some are full pages, some are small illustrations between blocks of text, and some have cute borders. The text on many of the full-page illustrations is hard to read.
Reality-based: The story is told by polar bears instead of humans, but the message is correct.
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