Today Is Easter!

By P.K. Hallinan

Book Overview

Suitable for children of ages from 2 to 5 years, this book celebrates the sights, sounds, and activities that we associate with this most joyous holiday - Easter. The lively, rhyming text moves from... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0824953614
• ISBN13: 9780824953614
• Release Date: December 2001
• Publisher: Ideals Childrens Books
• Length: 24 Pages
• Weight: 0.85 lbs.
• Dimensions: 11.3" x 0.3" x 9.0"
• Age Range: 5 to 8 years
• Grade Range: Preschool to Grade 2

Customer Reviews

Today Is Easter! (Today Is...)

ISBN 0824953614 - With a pile of Easter books on hand, it's time to get through them and this is as good a time as any! The cover illustration is soooo much like the only other book I've read by this author that I have to think that Hallinan is one of those extraordinarily limited illustrators. A brother and sister wake up on Easter morning and go through their routine holiday plans, from finding their baskets and hunting for eggs to dressing from church and watching the parade. The day is spent with family and friends. To get the warnings out of the way - for the non-believers, this is a Christian book, with all the religious trappings of the holiday. They don't talk about the dead guy coming back to life, but they do go to church, pray and say grace. For those whose religions are sexist, you'll probably want to pass this one up: there's a female pastor. And, for the puritanical folks, there's one illustration of the kids, as they're dressing, in their underclothes. Anyone who finds any of that to be a problem isn't going to want this book. Normal people, read on. The text is in rhyme and, although it flows mostly smoothly, the cadence feels a little off. Sometimes the rhyme is ABCB (the second and fourth lines rhyme) and sometimes it's AA (each line rhymes); this is a little awkward, to me. The illustrations are cute and colorful, but they look like every illustration I've ever seen from author/illustrator P.K. Hallinan. Kudos to Hallinan, however, on the ethnic diversity in the images - not only is the pastor a woman, but the crowd at the church is made up of people of differing backgrounds. - AnnaLovesBooks

A Happy Family Day of Easter Festivities and Religious Rites

Many Easter children's books feature Easter egg hunts, but steer clear of the religious significance of the holiday. Today Is Easter! describes almost all of the wonderful things that children do on Easter, including the joys of the religious part of this wonderful Christian holiday. The only favorite memory of mine that the book missed was going to Eastern sunrise services outdoors with my parents. The book covers the beauties of spring, Easter baskets, Easter egg hunts, getting dressed up to go to church, Easter church services, an Easter parade, spending time outdoors playing games, and Easter dinner (including saying grace).The illustrations feature the vivid colors of spring, as suggested by the text (lavender morning light, for example). One fun one leaves an Easter egg unfound, so the young reader can look for it.I did find the illustrations troubling in two places. First, the sister and brother ostentatiously share a bedroom (with different beds). This is shown twice in a short book. Second, they are displayed changing in their underclothes. I really didn't see how this advanced the story, or made the book more Easter-like. It seems to me like the illustrations could have carried off the story without getting into the bedroom and dressing arrangements at all. I would not comment on it, but the images seemed at odds with the rest of the story and illustrations. I graded the book down one star for this unnecessarily jarring note.Fans of displaying images that are free of racial and sexual stereotypes will be interested to know that the sermon is presented by a female minister, and that the faces in the book come in many hues. If you decide to purchase and read this book, I suggest that you do so before Easter to help create a sense of anticipation for Easter activities. In fact, you can use the book to plan your day with your child . . . if you like.The book is a good one for about the first grade reader in the second half of the year or the beginning of second grade.I found it invigorating to think ahead to Easter on a wintry day in Boston with melting piles of snow all around. After you read it, you'll also be saying:"Thank you for Easter! It's a wonderful day!"

Energy, excitement and joy!

What a rare find! This book captures the energy, excitement and joy of Easter. Written in delightful verse, the story covers everything from the fun of an egg hunt to the awesome power of Jesus' resurrection. I was so taken with it that two copies came home - one for our family and one to give away!