Faith Based Easter Books to Read with Your Children This Year

If you are looking for great Christian Easter books to read with your kids this year, you have come to the right place.  We have rounded up our very favorite children’s Easter books that tell the story of Easter in a clear way for kids.  

These are books that our family has read and enjoyed year after year and we think you will enjoy them, too!  

For Christians, Easter is such a special time.  We get to celebrate resurrection of Jesus and that is GOOD NEWS!  

And while we love reading all the Spring books and we definitely do our fair share of bunny rabbit  and egg crafts and activities, it is really important to me that we spend lots of time intentionally teaching our kids the reason we celebrate Easter and books are a great way to do that. 

I’ve picked each of these Easter books from our home library.  They are books that we have accumulated over the years that we love and read over and over again. 

Each of these would be a great addition to your book basket, or as an Easter gift this year!

The Best Faith-Based Easter Books for Children

As I mentioned, these are the books we have at home that we use to teach the Easter story to our children.  

These books are great ways to start a conversation about the meaning of Easter.  I also recommend using a children’s Bible and to read out of the actual Bible with your kids.  

The Story of Easter (by Fiona Boon) uses fun, simple rhyming text to tell the story of Easter in a way that even the littlest listeners can understand.  The colorful illustrations that engage readers.

Humphrey’s First Palm Sunday (by Carol Heyer) is a fun way to introduce Palm Sunday to children.  Told from the perspective of Humphrey, a camel that is itching to become the leader of his caravan.  

As his caravan enters into Jerusalem, they get to bear witness to Jesus riding into the city and Humphrey is reminded of when Jesus was just a small baby, to whom he gave his blanket many years ago.  He recognizes who Jesus is – the King.  

Holy Week: An Emotions Primer (by Danielle Hitchen) is a part of the Baby Believer series for young children.  It teaches many basic emotions that each of us experience, such as joy, excited, thankful, frustrated, sad, angry, and more while going through the final week of Jesus’s life.  

Beginning at the triumphal entry and following all the way to Jesus’s appearance to his disciples after the resurrection.  It includes specific scripture references on each page, which makes it easy to follow along in the Bible, too.  

Who is Jesus? (by Kate Hox) is new to us this year and we have really been enjoying it! This book is a 40 day devotional book that asks the question, “Who is Jesus?”  and shows how the whole Bible points us to Jesus and helps us understand who He is.  Each day has a beautiful illustration, a key verse, scripture references, and discussion questions that allow families to pause, reflect, and engage in meaningful conversation, considering together who Jesus really is.  

Because it’s broken up into 40 days, this one is particularly helpful if you are looking for a family resource during the Lenten season leading up to Easter. 

God Gave Us Easter (by Lisa Tawn Bergren) is a sweet conversation between a Little Cub and her Papa Bear about the meaning of Easter.  This is a great book for little ones.  Papa Bear explains that Easter is even better than Christmas.  At Christmas, we celebrate that Jesus was born and at Easter, we celebrate that we can live with Jesus forever.  

The Garden, The Curtain, and The Cross (by Carl Laferton) is a part of the Tales that Tell the Truth collection – a beautiful children’s book series that presents the Gospel and Bible stories to children in a clear and memorable way.   We have several of these books in our home, and we especially love this one for Easter. 

The Garden, The Curtain, and The Cross begins at the very beginning – in the Garden of Eden.  Focusing on the temple and the curtain, it echoes the refrain, “because of your sin, you can’t come in” for readers.  That is, until the cross.  When the curtain is torn in two, readers are reminded that because of Jesus, we can go in! 

This one is so beautiful and clear, it almost brings me to tears every time we read it.  

The Friend Who Forgives (by Dan Dewitt) is another children’s book from the Tales that Tell the Truth collection. It tells the story of Peter’s relationship with Jesus.  It’s such a personal and special story of failure, regret, friendship, and forgiveness.  Peter, who thought all was lost after Jesus’s death – ends up boldly spreading the Gospel after Jesus sought him out to forgive him following His resurrection.   

The Donkey Who Carried a King (by R.C. Sproul) tells the story of Davey, a young donkey, who feels frustrated that he hasn’t been chosen for any “important” duties.  Finally, he is given a very honorable task – carrying King Jesus into Jerusalem.  

Imagine his surprise when just a week later, Davey sees the same King Jesus that he had carried into the city, carrying a heavy cross on his back while the crowd jeered.  Finally, another donkey helps Davey see that though he is a King, Jesus made himself a servant.  He was willing to sacrifice himself for the sake of his people.  

This captivating story of passion week challenges readers to consider the sacrifice that Jesus made and how we should respond to that.  

The Tale of Three Trees: A Traditional Folktale (retold by Angela Elwell Hunt) tells the Easter story from the point of view of three little trees with big dreams.  One wishes to be the most beautiful treasure chest in the whole world.  Another, a strong sailing ship.  And yet, another wishes to live a long life right on top of the mountain.

While their dreams take shape differently than they expected, each get even more than they could have imagined.  

Does your family have any favorite Easter books?  I’d love to know, so that we can add them to our list!  

To find more Easter activities for your family, be sure to check out these posts!  

Wishing you and yours a wonderful Easter season!