Review by Booklist Review
PreS-Gr. 1. The story of the Easter Bunny is revealed in this eye-opening exploration of the legendary rabbit's propensity for annual springtime egg coloration and basket distribution. It wasn't always the Easter Bunny who dyed eggs and wove baskets for the children--it was a round old couple who lived in a snug little house. Their pet white rabbit, however, always watched their preparations closely. One Easter morning, the old couple sleeps in, so the rabbit takes over. In time, the children discover they have the Easter Bunny to thank for their gifts. His secret identity cracked, the bunny leaves the old couple to set up shop in the shadow-filled wood, with the help of plenty of furry friends. This charming tale is so matter-of-factly told, readers will be wanting the truth about the Tooth Fairy next. Lambert's cozy paintings of Easter-time in a small English village are as lovely and inviting as a sugar egg. --Karin Snelson Copyright 2005 Booklist
From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Review by Publisher's Weekly Review
How the Easter bunny came to have his job is told with child-like wonder in The Story of the Easter Bunny by Katherine Tegen, illus. by Sally Anne Lambert. When a "round old couple" who diligently worked year after year painting eggs, weaving baskets and making chocolates can no longer do the work, their pet rabbit takes on the task himself. Muted watercolors of an endearingly antiquated town and the couple's cozy home add to the sweetness of the story. (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved
(c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved
Review by School Library Journal Review
PreS-Gr 2-An elderly couple's petite white rabbit observes, assists, then eventually takes over the task of weaving baskets, coloring eggs, concocting candy, and delivering the gifts to village children. When the man and woman become too old to continue their labors, the bunny moves the operation to the woods, where he works inside a hollow tree, assisted by other rabbit friends. Tegen's text teems with sensory details: the eggs were "-the color of daffodils and of soft new leaves and of robins' eggs and of violets." Lambert's watercolors make merry with spring's pastels, providing detailed images of the cozy cottage kitchen as well as the rabbit den. However, some children may be concerned when the rabbit preserves the tasks' secrecy by leaving the humans when they are too frail to carry on. Nevertheless, this visually splendid story with folktale rhythms makes a good choice for holiday sharing.-Gay Lynn Van Vleck, Henrico County Library, Glen Allen, VA (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
(c) Copyright Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Review by Horn Book Review
A white rabbit watches an elderly couple dye eggs, weave baskets, and make chocolate eggs, which they deliver to children on Easter. When the couple becomes infirm, the rabbit takes over for them. The story is straightforward to the verge of pointlessness, but the meticulous illustrations are a welcome relief from the brassy presentations that tend to accompany kids' holiday fare. (c) Copyright 2010. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted. All rights reserved.
(c) Copyright The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Review by Kirkus Book Review
Tegen explores the origins of the Easter Bunny in this sweet, simply told story set in an old-fashioned village with winding streets and stone houses. In this particular village, an elderly couple work all winter preparing baskets of eggs and candies for all the children of the village to enjoy each Easter morning. The "round old man" and the "round old woman" have a white pet rabbit who at first just watches their preparations. As he grows, he helps the couple with their tasks, taking over more of the work and eventually moving the operation to the woods to hide the process from curious children. The short story is gracefully told with just a few sentences on each page, and the large type size and soft watercolor illustrations contribute to the appealing design. The illustrations are full of details that young readers will enjoy spotting, including glimpses of the village children waiting in the windows for the Easter bunny to deliver his baskets. (Picture book. 3-6) Copyright ©Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
