EASTER IS COMING!: Book Review by Sally Matheny

Easter is coming! Do you have a basket full of beautiful Easter books ready to read to your little ones? If you’re still hunting, then consider this review of Tama Fornter’s new book, EASTER IS COMING. It may be exactly what you’re searching for.
 
The Author
Tama Fortner is an ECPA award-winning and bestselling author with more than fifty titles to her credit, including God, I Feel Sad, which I reviewed about a year ago. She has collaborated with some of the biggest names in Christian publishing to create inspirational books for children, teens, and adults. But she says her greatest accomplishments happen in a happy little home on the outskirts of Nashville, Tennessee, where she lives with her family and a feisty little pup who is convinced he’s people too. To learn more, visit TamaFortner.com.

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The Illustrator and the Illustrations
Wazza Uyen Pink Nguyen (Wazza Pink) does an amazing job illustrating EASTER IS COMING! Wazza resides in her hometown of Ha Noi, Viet Nam. She loved to read comics and picture books ever since she was a kid, and was also really excited to mimic the styles of her favorite comic book artists.

I love the illustrations! Soft shades of green, pink, yellow, and blue fill the pages, with a dash of purple here and there. The book begins with the illustration of a modern-day woman reading to her two small children as they swing under a tree. The book ends with the same scene but now a man with a guitar has joined them and the family is enjoying a picnic under the tree.

All of the in-between pages depict scenes from the Bible.
 
About EASTER IS COMING
“Easter is coming! It’s the day we celebrate God’s love. This special day comes every spring but it’s beginning was long, long ago . . . before the world was even created.”
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This is one reason I love this book so much. It begins with Adam and Eve, the sin brought into the world, and how God always had a plan to “make things right again.”

Each of the 2-page spreads contains about two sentences of unrhyming text telling about a specific moment in the Bible. Also, on each spread is the refrain, “Easter is coming!” This repeated phrase is paired with something specific about the text on that page.
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For example, in the section about Adam and Eve, it says: “Adam and Eve didn’t know, but we know . . . Easter is coming!”

Almost every page mentions how people and animals did not know, but we know Easter is coming. There are a few exceptions to this pattern. One page states how Jesus knew, and another page shows that after His resurrection, His friends then knew. And the last page mentions how “God always knew, and now you know too—"

The book shows Adam and Eve, the prophets in general, the nativity, Jesus’ ministry, His triumphal entry, washing His disciples' feet, praying in the garden, three crosses on a distant hill, men and women praying, and Jesus outside the tomb.

​Recommendation
I absolutely recommend this excellent book! The gospel is presented in a way that children will understand. This would be a wonderful book to read to children at Easter events, at church, and at home.

This 24-page board book with its padded cover is durable enough for toddlers, but children as old as seven will enjoy it as well.
 
This article first appeared on www.sallymatheny.com. Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from the publisher. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255.

About SallyMotivated by the power of story, history, and His Story, Sally Matheny’s passion is telling the next generation wondrous things.
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Her nonfiction writing appears in worldwide, national, and regional publications including Appleseeds, Clubhouse Jr., Homeschooling Today, and The Old Schoolhouse.
She and her husband live in the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains and are blessed with three children, two sons-in-law, and armfuls of grandbabies. Connect with Sally on several social media sites, but her favorite hangouts are at SallyMatheny.com and Pinterest.

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