Rechenka's Eggs

An old woman named Babushka always wins first prize in the Easter festival for her exquisitely painted Ukrainian eggs. When she finds a wounded goose outside her house, Babushka takes her in, cares for her until she is strong again, and names her Rechenka. The goose lays an egg each morning for the old woman, but as she begins to heal, she flies around, knocking over Babushka's jars of colored paints and breaking all her Easter eggs. Babushka is miserable, until Rechenka miraculously lays brilliantly colored eggs; the old woman wins first prize once more. This cherished story, written by Patricia Polacco, includes beautiful 's batik-like paintings and opulent colors and designs.  It brings you back to old-world Europe!  Find out more about the book by clicking on this link:

Benjamin's Box -- A Resurrection Story

This is my son's favorite Easter time story, especially since we use it with the Resurrection Eggs available from FamilyLife.  It is the story of Jesus' passion, death and resurrection as told from the viewpoint of a little boy named Benjamin.  Uses the eggs, children can interact with the story by collecting various mementos that match those collected by Benjamin.  More information about the book and the eggs are available by checking out these links:

Easter Eggs for Anya: A Ukrainian Celebration of New Life in Christ (Traditions of Faith from Around the World)

This beautifully illustrated story gives new meaning to Easter eggs.  The scene is early nineteenth-century Ukraine.  Anya's Papa is away at war and her Mama is struggling to make ends meet, so they do not have the money to buy eggs to decorate and exchange with friends.  That is, until Anya discovers an abandoned nest of goose eggs and begins planning an Easter surprise for her family. But God had an even better surprise in store, and when the eggs unexpectedly began to hatch. This book is part of the Traditions of Faith series which features a story of how significant Christian traditions emerged in cultures around the world.  It includes a note about the origin and history of the tradition, and offers ideas and activities each family can adopt as its own.

Legend of the Easter Egg

One April morning, a boy and his sister go outside to gather eggs. “Let’s pretend we’re hunting Easter eggs,” Lucy says. “What are Easter eggs?” Thomas wonders.  In this story, Thomas learns about Easter eggs and their deeper meaning.  The setting may be familiar to those who enjoyed the book The Legend of the Candy Cane, since this story uses the same setting and characters but takes on the legends surrounding eggs and Easter.  It features beautiful illustrations by James Bernardin and a story that will touch your heart.  More information is available at this link:

The Bird's Gift: A Ukrainian Easter Story

Here is another heart-touching tale about pysanky, or Ukrainian decorated Easter eggs. When winter arrives early and with severe storms, Katrusya inspires the whole village to rescue the hundreds of tiny birds trapped in the snow. Later, when spring comes, the birds show their gratitude by leaving the world's first pysanky. The author crafts various cultural details and the folk motifs and artwork make this a beautiful book to look at, too.   Recommended for ages 4-8, although you can count me in as one of the adults who also loves the story! 

The Parable of the Lily

A farmer's daughter receives a mysterious gift which she neglects and then discards, only to find out on Easter morning how special it is. Bible verses link the story to the life of Jesus. 

The Jesus Garden: An Easter Legend

This imaginative book tells the Passion of Christ from the point of view of the flowers, trees and birds of the garden of Gethsemane. As the story plays out, we follow the Passion story from the moment of the agony in the Garden, through the Crucifixion, and ultimately Jesus' Resurrection. These subjects can be frightening to children, but the author and illustrator have created a story that is heart-touching and memorable, rather than scary. This one will become a classic Easter story!