2017 Easter basket books

Easter is just about HERE. I feel like it snuck up on me this year. Luckily, much of E's Easter basket has been gathered in our gift closet already, and she's got plenty of dresses she can wear to mass. So, other than spiritual matters, there's not much that needs taken care of at this point.

E's Easter basket this year was incredibly easy. Somehow, I ended up with an extra little tub of sidewalk chalk from last year's trip through the Target dollar section. I also have a couple Disney princess barbies and a pack of new crayons in the gift closet that I can stick in there. I'll grab some candy (because it's a celebration, right?) to add in, but otherwise that's about it. Except for the books. No gift-giving celebration is complete without new books. Here are the ones I selected for E's basket this year:

Jesus Storybook Bible

I've heard about this book a thousand and one times, so I jumped when I finally got the chance to review this pretty gift edition. I wouldn't call it a bible, exactly, but I still think it's pretty great. It does a wonderful job of telling bible stories in a way that kids will understand--but the biggest asset here is how well the book ties every single story back to Jesus very explicitly. Most of the time, it's up to C and I to do some additional explaining and discussion with E when we read bible stories (of course, she's 2, so it's not like that's hard at this point). The Storybook Bible is written in such a way that the discussion is already opened up for you by the time you reach the end of the story--I love that.

The illustrations inside are nice, though maybe not my favorite among all of our books. They're quality, attractive images though, for sure.

All in all, I wouldn't recommend it as your only children's bible (I think you'll also need something with more of the original text in it), but I definitely think it's a good addition, especially for elementary-aged kids who are ready for some of that extra discussion.

Found

This 20-page board book is basically a paraphrase of Psalm 23, intended to connect with kids. It's written by the same woman who did the Storybook Bible--in fact, the same content is found in the Storybook Bible itself (FYI). This separate copy makes a good gift, though--particularly for a baptism or (obviously) Easter.

The illustrations in Found are beautiful enough to appeal to parents with an eye for design, and the concept is interesting. It could be a good way to introduce the Psalms to your kiddo without simply pulling out the originals. However, it leaves something to be desired for a kid older than, say, five. I like having it in our little library for a kid E's age, though--it allows us to directly reinforce the idea that God loves us without just telling her he does. I think it's a good choice for young kids--older kids can handle more meat.

What's in your kid's Easter basket this year?

P.S. I received these books for review purposes. All thoughts and opinions are my own.