10 Christian Easter Books Kids Love

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Do you have questions about how to explain Easter to a child? Do you need help finding good Easter books to put in front of your kids? 

Easter is one of the biggest celebrations of the year for kids. Most of the Easter traditions we hold are catered to them. Unfortunately, the majority of those traditions miss the mark when it comes to the meaning of Easter in the Bible. The goal of this post is to equip you to bridge that gap and bring the Easter story full circle for your kiddos using our favorite teaching tool; books.

What does the Bible say about Easter? How do I tell my kids about Easter? We’ve got answers and tons of ideas for you in the remainder of this article. We’ll answer the question, what is Easter in simple words (simple enough that kids can understand it) and provide a list of books, activities, and quotes about Easter in the Bible that you can use to communicate to kids the spiritual meaning of Easter and how to explain Easter to preschoolers and young children.

What Does Easter Mean To A Child?

Easter for kids carries the same weight and significance as Easter for children; there is no difference. The Jesus that brought salvation to us as adults is the same Jesus who brings salvation to kids.

What is Easter according to the Bible? Easter according to the Bible represents the resurrection of Jesus 3 days after being crucified on the cross and placed in a grave. This explanation isn’t too kid-friendly but I’m going to share I’ll share an example of how to explain Easter to preschoolers and young children in the next section.

Is the word Easter in the Bible?

The word Easter is mentioned a couple one times in the Bible (depending on the translation) and if you read the passage in context, you’ll find that it’s actually referring to the Passover. There wasn’t an Easter celebration at this time in history.

Where in the Bible is the Easter story? The story of Easter in the Bible (also referred to as Resurrection Sunday) is found in John 17 through John 19, and in Luke 22 through 24. Keep reading and I’ll provide a quick summary of those chapters for you. Scroll to the bottom and you’ll find Resurrection Day Bible verses and Bible verses about the resurrection of believers that correspond with Easter and the return of Jesus.

In our house, explaining the easter bunny to toddlers doesn’t happen.. We haven’t found a reason too and find that the Easter season and the real Easter story are full and exciting on their own.

What is the Story of Jesus and Easter?

If I were explaining the story of Jesus and Easter to young children, it would sound something like this,

The Bible says sin separates us from God. It keeps us from knowing God’s love the way He wants us to. God loves us so much He wanted to make sure that we could know His love forever and that even if we sin-  if we are sorry, we’ll be able to find our way back to Him. He promised to send a Savior into the world to strip sin of its power once and for all. That Savior is Jesus.

When Jesus died on the cross He used His life to pay the price for our sins. When Jesus came alive again, three days later He took all the power away from sin it can’t separate us from God’s love anymore. We get to know God and have a relationship with Him forever!

That’s Easter explained simply. I might also add something like this,

When Jesus died they put His body in a tomb. Easter Sunday in the Bible is the day some of his friends went to go see His tomb and guess what?! They found it empty! They found it empty because Jesus was alive! Jesus really is stronger than sin and death!

The Easter message in the Bible is simple: Jesus is stronger than sin and death and nothing can stop us from knowing God’s love if that’s what we want!

Sally Loyd-James shares a beautiful version of the Easter story in the Bible for preschoolers in the Jesus Storybook Bible! Short, sweet, and to the point! Plus kids love the Bible illustrations that go with it.

10 Christian Easter Books That Tell the Easter Story for Kids

The summary above is just one method of answering the question, What is the true meaning of Easter? These Christian Easter books for toddlers and children provide an engaging and kid-friendly way for you to answer that question and share the true meaning of Easter with your kids. Keep scrolling for a list of Easter verses in the Bible that you can share with your kids! They also make for some great Christian Easter gifts!

1. Humphrey’s First Palm Sunday – Humphrey is a donkey that got to meet Jesus as a baby born in Bethlehem (that story is available as a book too! It’s called Humphrey’s First Christmas). Now close to thirty years later and Humphrey is reunited with Jesus the day He enters Jerusalem (Palm Sunday).
2. The Garden, The Curtain, The Cross – This book takes the Easter story in the Bible back to the very beginning; the Garden of Eden where sin entered the world and the wait for a Savior began. It retells the Easter story through an overview of the Bible as a whole.
3. The Colt and the King – The Colt and the King tells the Easter story in the Bible from the perspective of the donkey who carried Jesus into town on Good Friday. The young donkey is scared to take on the task of carrying Jesus into town. The streets are crowded and loud, and the donkey is fearful and reluctant; until He meets Jesus and is freed from His fears. Through the story, kids learn that because of what Jesus did for us on Easter, we too are freed from fear and get to know freedom in Christ.
4. The Tale of Three Trees
5. The Donkey Who Carried A King – is the Easter story that helps kids see how Jesus’ love for us led Him to be both our Savior and a Servant. Children will learn with Davey, the donkey He carried the King, what it meant for the King to carry His cross.
6. God Gave Us Easter – Join this polar bear family as they walk through the Arctic forest and Papa bear “how Easter came about, in clear simple terms even the littlest cub could understand.”
7. The Donkey That No One Could Ride – The Donkey That No One Could Ride is a colorful and engaging story that teaches kids how Jesus fits into God’s perfect plan for life and salvation. It’s also a reminder that no matter how small the tasks we’re a part of seem when we do them for God, they always have significance.
8. The Friend who Forgives – In this Easter Storybook children learn that forgiveness is part of how Jesus loves us. Just like Jesus forgave Peter for denying Him, Jesus forgives us when we sin. Just like Jesus used Peter to build the New Testament church, Jesus allows us to be a part of building His kingdom.
9. Make Room: A Child’s Guide to Lent and Easter – Make presents Lent and the Easter season as a special time for making space for God in our lives through various activities (making bread, having a neighbor over, planning acts of kindness- to name a few); connecting each activity to the story of Jesus and Easter.
10. He’s Risen! He’s Alive! – In He’s Risen, He’s alive, kids unravel the Easter meaning in the Bible story account of the woman who came to Jesus’ tomb and found it empty!

Looking for some Christian Easter Activity Books? Check out Amazon!

For Christian Easter Coloring Books, definitely check out the Jesus Storybook Bible Coloring book! It includes nearly 60 pages of coloring fun, perforated edges so you can easily remove the pictures from the coloring book, and the coloring pages correspond with the stories in the Jesus Story Book Bible!

Easter Verses in the Bible and Resurrection Hope Scriptures

During Easter, we celebrate Jesus’ resurrection, victory over sin, new hope, and new life. To an extent, these things are a reality for us now, but we’re still waiting to experience the fullness of them in Heaven with Jesus. Until then, we have these Bible Verses on death and resurrection to keep us hopeful!

How are Bible verses about the resurrection of the dead hopeful? Because they remind us that through Jesus we have eternal life! Death has lost its sting. Just like that, the biblical Easter message comes to life. Ready for some resurrection hope Scripture Verses? You can find these and other Easter Bible Verses to read with your family in our free Easter Bible reading plan!

John 11:25 – 26 – Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in Me, though he may die, he shall live. And whoever lives and believes in Me shall never die. Do you believe this?

Romans 6:9 – …knowing that Christ, having been raised from the dead, dies no more. Death no longer has dominion over Him.

Philippians 3:10 – That I may know Him and the power of His resurrection, and the fellowship of His sufferings, being conformed to His death, if, by any means, I may attain to the resurrection from the dead.

Psalm 17:15 – As for me, I will see Your face in righteousness; I shall be satisfied when I awake in Your likeness.

1 Peter 1:3 – …Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ who according to His abundant mercy has begotten us again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead…

1 Corinthians 6:14 – And God both raised up the Lord and will also raise us up by His power.

Romans 15:13 – Now may the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, that you may abound in hope by the power f the Holy Spirit.

John 5:28-29 – Do not marvel at this, for the hours is coming in which all who are in the graves will hear His voice and come forth – those who have done good to the resurrection of life, and those who have done evil, to the resurrection of condemnation.

Ecclesiastes 12:7 – Then the dust will return to the Earth as it was, and the spirit will return to God who gave it.

Revelation 20:6 – Blessed and holy is he who has part in the first resurrection. Over such the second death has no power, but they shall be priests of God and of Christ and shall reign with Him a thousand years.

If you enjoyed these book suggestions, you’ll love the Christmas books we use to teach kids about Christmas! Click here for the Christmas book list!