I learned something while researching this post: it’s really hard to find inclusive and multicultural Easter books! That frustrated me, considering how many diverse and inclusive Christmas books I’ve read with our family. After a lot of searching, I was able to get my hands on a handful of culturally diverse Easter books for kids. Some focus primarily on the secular traditions of Easter, while others focus on the resurrection of Jesus and church celebrations. You’ll also find recommendations for three children’s story Bibles that prioritize diversity and share the Christian story in non-fundamentalist ways. I’m also including links to kid-friendly Easter activities from countries around the world.
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Diverse Easter Books for Children
Easter Fun by Nikki Shannon Smith. Illustrated by Ashley Evans.
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In this sweet and simple board book, a young Black girl and her family celebrate Easter. She’s excited by her basket of treats and her new clothes, along with a fancy brunch at Granny’s. The most special part, though, is the backyard egg hunt that’s just for her and her cousin. (Recommendeed for ages 1 – 3.)
Crack Goes the Cascarón: An Eggcellent Not-Just-for-Easter Shellebration! by Sara Andrea Fajardo. Illustrate by Rocío Arreola Mendoza
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This brightly colored book is as full of egg-related puns as a cascarón is full of confetti. It’s great for kids who enjoy wordplay and holiday traditions. In Mexico and the southwestern U.S., cascarónes are used to celebrate Easter and Carnival. They are hollowed out egg shells filled with confetti that people crack on each others’ heads.
Toti is the reigning cascarón champion in his family, and this year he’s decided to turn his eggs up a notch. No one will expect his cascarónes filled with slime, for example. Little does Toti know this might be the year his family members succeed in surprising him! (Recommended for ages 3 – 7.)
Elijah’s Easter Suit by Brentom Jackson. Illustrated by Emmanuel Boateng.
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The Easter outfits that members of Third Avenue Church wear are legendary. Young Elijah is determined that this year, he will wear a suit that will get him a pulpit shout out from Reverend White. He searches at the hip department store, the trendy thrift store, and the old fashioned boutique. Nothing he finds is quite right (but readers will find the illustrations of the outfits he tries on delightful!)
When Mother Green and Deacon Brown tell Elijah how they used to make their own Easter clothes by reusing fabric, he’s inspired to find the most special fabrics in his own home to make a truly one-of-a-kind suit. (Recommended for ages 4 – 8.)
Let’s Get Festive! Celebrations Around the World by Joanna Konczak and Eura Poklewska-Koziello.
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The Easter chapter of Let’s Get Festive! is a rare resource. It explains the Christian meanings of the holiday, as well as the different ways it is celebrated around the world, without assuming that the reader is Christian. It also discusses how ancient pre-Christian traditions influence the holiday, as well as sharing information about how different churches and communities practice Lent and Holy Week.
The book’s illustrations are expressive and simply gorgeous. There are a huge global variety of holidays and celebrations included in the book, including New Year holidays, religious holidays, nature celebrations, carnivals, and days that remember those who have died. (Recommended for ages 7 – 12.)
Catherine’s Pascha: A Celebration of Easter in the Orthodox Church by Charlotte Riggle and R.J. Hughes
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This lushly illustrated book introduces children to how Easter is celebrated in the Orthodox Church. That’s something most kids in Western countries are unfamiliar with. While many Protestant Christians think of celebrating Easter with Sunday morning services, Catherine’s Pascha begins in the middle of the night. Since Jesus was raised from the dead at night, that’s when Orthodox Christians celebrate his resurrection.
Catherine is determined that this will be the year she stays awake through the long service. We follow Catherine, her family, and her best friend Elizabeth throughout the service, which takes place both inside and outside the church. Catherine joins in the chanting and candle lighting. She watches eagerly as the priest bangs on the doors of the church with the cross, demanding that the risen Jesus be allowed to enter. After the service, Catherine and Elizabeth can’t wait to eat the festive meal. After weeks of fasting from meat and dairy, Catherine can finally enjoy one of her favorite foods: hot dogs!
Both the story and the illustrations show children the diverse, global nature of the Orthodox Church. The background of the page spreads shows different Orthodox churches around the world, with some of their names written in multiple scripts.
It’s also hard to find children’s books with characters who have disabilities (but where the disability is not the focus of the story.) I love that Elizabeth uses a wheelchair and leg braces, and participates fully in the service and celebrations. (Recommended for ages 4 – 10)
Related Post: Children’s Books about Passover
Chicken Sunday by Patricia Polacco
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So many of Patricia Polacco’s books are stories from her childhood (including this one.) Growing up, Patricia spent a lot of time with her neighbors Stewart and Winston and their gramma Eula Mae Walker. Patricia often went to their Baptist church with them, even though she is Jewish. On the walk home, Miss Eula frequently stopped to admire the wonderful Easter bonnets in Mr. Kodinski’s shop window.
The children want so badly to buy the hat for Miss Eula, but their change that they pool together isn’t nearly enough to buy it. Stewart suggests asking Mr. Kodinski if they could work for him in exchange for the hat, but Winston thinks the shop owner is too mean to agree to it.
The kids happen to arrive at the shop just as some other children are throwing eggs at his building, and Mr. Kodinski thinks they must be involved. Patricia decides that a gift of eggs, decorated in the intricate Russian style her grandmother taught her, is the best way to show Mr. Kodinski they are innocent. It also turns out to be the way they can finally get Miss Eula her Easter bonnet. (Recommended for ages 5 – 10)
Related Post: Children’s books about Ramadan and Eid al-Fitr
Rechenka’s Eggs by Patricia Polacco
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This was one of my son’s favorite books for a long time! Babushka is known throughout the countryside for the fine eggs she lovingly paints each year for the Easter Festival competition in Moskva.
One day, an injured goose falls from the sky, wounded by a hunter. Babushka takes the goose home to nurse her. Under Babushka’s tender care, Rechenka the goose grows a little stronger each day. To thank Babushka for her kindness, Rechenka lays Babushka an egg each morning. But just as Rechenka recovers, disaster strikes! She knocks over all the eggs that Babushka has spent the winter painting, breaking them all. There’s no way that Babushka can paint enough eggs in time to enter them into the competition.
Babushka is resigned to this sad fact, but Rechenka still has a surprise left for Babushka! (Recommended for ages 5 – 9)
Children’s Bibles that tell the Easter story in non-fundamentalist ways
As a former children’s minister, I’m pretty critical of most children’s storybook Bibles. The selection of which stories to include is often strange and Biblical characters are usually illustrated as if they were European. There’s often a heavy emphasis on sin and a focus on turning every story into a tidy moral message. Below, I share three wonderful story Bibles that are inclusive, age appropriate, and that focus on God’s love, rather than judgment.
Never struggle to find the right diverse or social justice book again with my Anti-Bias Children’s Book Database!
The Book of Belonging: Bible Stories for Kind and Contemplative Kids by Mariko Clark. Illustrated by Rachel Eleanor.
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The Holy Week and Easter stories in The Book of Belonging are told in a way that encourages children to place themselves in the story and relate what is happening to Jesus and the disciples with their own questions and struggles. Wonder is encouraged, and the selection of stories emphasizes the role of women (which sadly is often de-emphasized in churches.) Engaging illustrations, many of which use speech bubbles, depict people of the Bible as having various shades of brown skin.
Throughout the entire storybook Bible, there’s an emphasis on mindfulness about our emotions, bodies, and spirits. A “mindful moment” discussion starters and reflection questions are included throughout the book. (Recommended for ages 6 – 12).
The Just Love Story Bible by Jacqui Lewis and Shannon Daley-Harris. Illustrated by Cheryl “Ras” Thuesday.
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With an emphasis on asking questions and applying Biblical stories to the present day, The Just Love Story Bible places particular emphasis on both seeking justice and practicing compassion. The Holy Week stories are collected together under the heading “a week of holy conflict” (which is a ground-breaking idea in and of itself!)
The stories largely stick to the Biblical narrative itself (unlike The Book of Belonging, which adds more commentary and interpretation.) The authors do a wonderful job of sharing the stories in ways that children can understand. (Recommended for ages 6 – 10.)
Growing in God’s Love: A Story Bible, edited by Elizabeth F. Caldwell and Carol A. Wehrheim.
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I love Growing in God’s Love by Elizabeth Caldwell and Carol A. Wehrheim because it’s rooted in Biblical scholarship and presented in a developmentally appropriate way to children. And, many of the illustrations (which have been curated from a variety of artists) show both children and Biblical characters with a wide variety of skin tones.
All of the stories for Holy Week are included (Palm Sunday, the Passover meal with the disciples, Jesus’ being sentenced to death, the women at the tomb, and Thomas’ encounter with the risen Christ.) Each story includes questions to ask children about what they hear and see in the story, and how it can inspire them to act. (Recommended for ages 5 – 10)
Easter Crafts and Recipes from Around the World
After reading multicultural Easter books, why not try a craft or recipe from another country?
Make cascarones (a Mexican Easter tradition)
Children in Mexico love cracking these eggs filled with confetti on each other’s heads. Make your own with this step by step tutorial with pictures.
Dye red eggs for Pascha (a tradition in many Eastern Orthodox countries)
Charlotte Riggle, author of Catherine’s Pascha, shares different stories about why the eggs are red. She also shows you how to use onion skin to dye the eggs red.
Make an Easter kite (A tradition from Bermuda)
Flying kites is an Easter tradition in Bermuda and some other parts of the Caribbean. This post from All Done Monkey explains more about the tradition.
Wrap an egg like a rose (Indonesia)
Marcellina Maria shows you how to make a tissue paper rose with an egg nestled inside, like her mother taught her to when she was a child.
Explore Easter traditions from Nigeria
Learn more from Crafty Moms Share about how Good Friday and Easter are celebrated in Nigeria, including links to recipes for foods commonly eaten on both these days.
Make Defo Dabo Bread (Ethiopia)
This bread, wrapped in a banana leaf, is eaten by many Ethiopian Christians on Easter.
Related Post: Best Children’s Books and Resources to Learn about Ethiopia
