When it comes to Christian picture books, there’s no shortage of Christmas books...but what about Easter? The picture books dealing with Holy Week and Easter are often riddled with theological minefields as authors try to explain the meaning of Jesus’ death, sometimes even glorifying the violence leading to salvation. (For more on why I don’t support telling the Holy Week stories with a focus on violence, see these resources). 

This year, we have some help interpreting the Easter story for children with the help of Glenys Nellist’s new book ‘Twas the Morning of Easter! Echoing her 2017 book ‘Twas the Evening of Christmas patterned after Clement C. Moore’s classic Christmas poem The Night Before Christmas, ‘Twas the Morning of Easter tells the story of Mary Magdalene meeting the risen Christ in the garden through a familiar cadence. The focus is not on the events of “Good” Friday, but on the wonder of Easter morning, following Mary as she quietly heads to the tomb on Sunday morning to pay her respects to her friend but receiving a gift she didn’t expect! Mary is rightfully depicted in her prophetic role as the risen Christ tells her to spread the good news to the disciples and everyone that his story is not over, but in fact, is just beginning!

This sweet rendition of the Easter story according to Mary is a good addition to any child’s bookshelf and a must-have for churches seeking to fill their libraries with non-white depictions of Biblical stories. The illustrations by Elena Selivanova are simple and expressive, with no blue-eyed, blond Jesus to be found! 

Pre-order your copy of ‘Twas the Morning of Easter today! For children’s ministers, I highly recommend including this picture book in your Holy Week kits and story rotations during our distanced festivities this year. 

Let’s Chat

What other books about Easter do you know and love? Which ones don’t quite cut it? Who will you share this beautiful new book with? Comment below!