God Gave Us Easter

Little Cub and her polar bear family are back, in this Easter-themed addition to the God Gave Us You series. The bear and her father go for a woodland walk as Papa explains the meaning of Easter (“Out of death comes life. That’s how God wants us to see Easter”). The bears’ wintry climate is hardly a typical setting for a discussion of Easter, but the idea of Jesus “whispering” in Little Cub’s heart is evocative and imaginative (“To hear Jesus, it takes a special kind of listening,” her father tells her). Bryant’s predominantly blue-and-white palette is remarkably varied, and underneath Bergren’s simple story about animals lays sophisticated theology about God’s intentions. Ages 3–7. (Jan.)