As spring arrives, so does a slate of holidays. PW highlights a selection of picture books and board books that embrace the season and its myriad celebrations.
All Who Are Hungry, Come and Eat! A Passover Story
Leslie Kimmelman, illus. by Alyssa Russell (HarperCollins, $18.99; ISBN 978-0-0633-2536-4). Ages 4–8. When the usual crowd is unable to make it for the Passover seder, and the long table is set for just Ethan and his parents, the child wonders, “Will that be enough?” But as Kimmelman’s title indicates and Dad explains, “everyone’s welcome at the festival of freedom.”
Bunny in Disguise
Cynthia Platt, illus. by Josh Cleland (Clarion, $19.99; ISBN 978-0-06-348303-3). The Easter Bunny is running behind schedule to hide eggs for the holiday and requires some help in the newest book in the Holidays in Disguise series.
Celebrate Nowruz! A Persian New Year Holiday to Honor Spring
Zohreh Ghahremani, illus. by Susie Ghahremani (Holt/Godwin, $18.99; ISBN 978-1-250-34864-7). Ages 4–8. With a parent away, a child navigates preparations for the Persian New Year in this experiential picture book from mother-daughter collaborators.
Could That Be the Easter Bunny?
Hannah Eliot, illus. by Saoirse Lou (Little Simon, $8.99 board book; ISBN 978-1-665-98899-5). Ages up to 3. Readers are on the lookout for the hidden Easter Bunny in the newest book in the Could That Be... series.
Christie Matheson (Sourcebooks Jabberwocky, $18.99; ISBN 978-1-72827-210-8). Ages 4–8. A narrative of nature’s rhythms twines with terms of venery and a seek-and-find vibe in this sprightly appreciation of spring.
I Think I Saw the Easter Bunny!
Adam Wallace, illus. by Srimalie Bassani (Silver Dolphin, $10.99; ISBN 978-1-6672-1165-7). Ages 3–8. A kid “SO EGGCITED!” for an annual Easter event finds assisting a legendary being even better than enjoying a local competition in this series kickoff.
Farhana Islam, illus. by Nabila Adani (Running Press, $18.99; ISBN 979-8-89414-331-6). Ages 4–6. A child embraces the depth of Eid’s meaning in this lively experiential picture book. Ibraheem loves Eid, “the most perfectly perfect day in the whole entire year”—for its games, its snacks, and, most of all, its presents.
It’s Almost Time for… Easter!
Maisha Oso, illus. by Tom Knight (S&S/McElderry, $10.99; ISBN 978-1-665-98010-4). Ages 4–8. In the latest addition to the It’s Almost Time For... series, readers follow along as a girl prepares for an exciting Easter holiday.
Little Bunny’s To-Do List
Helen K. Zax, illus. by Kiersten Eve Eagan (Abrams, $14.99; ISBN 978-1-4197-7948-0). Ages 3–5. The Easter Bunny works his way through a long to-do list as he gets ready for the holiday in the new A Magical List Book, a companion to Little Witch’s To-Do List.
Marie’s Magic Eggs: How Marie Procai Kept the Ukrainian Art of Pysanky Alive by Sandra Neil Wallace, illus. by Evan Turk (Astra/Calkins Creek, $19.99; ISBN 978-1-6626-8069-4). Ages 7–10. This picture book biography pays tribute the woman who was skilled in the Ukrainian art of pysanky Easter eggs and brought it to America. The book received a starred review from PW.
The Miracle of the Matzah Pizza
Ann Diament Koffsky (Intergalactic Afikoman, $19.99; ISBN 978-1-9513-6533-2). Ages 4–10. Koffsky concocts a comically far-fetched origin story for matzah-crust pizza in this punny picture book. The book received a starred review from PW.
My Little Chick
Hannah Eliot, illus. by Jess Bircham (Little Simon, $7.99 board book; ISBN 978-1-665-98888-9). Ages up to 3. A young chick receives affirmation from their parent in the latest in the My Little series.
Mac Barnett, illus. by Jon Klassen. (Tundra, $9.99 board book; ISBN 978-1-77488-673-1). Frequent collaborators Barnett and Klassen capture a year’s rhythms with stunning subtlety via a standout board book quartet that—across volumes named around the four seasons—matches spare text, identical in each work, with varying images that relay the passage of time. The book received a starred review from PW.
Nadine Presley, illus. by Asma Enayeh (Salaam Reads, $19.99; ISBN 978-1-6659-6933-8). Ages 4–8. Young narrator Sami examines what a Ramadan night feels like via a walk their Baba to the mosque to pray Taraweeh.
Say Peekaboo! Chick’s Easter Egg Hunt
Anne Forni, illus. by Sebastien Braun (DK, $9.99; ISBN 9798217133703). Ages 3–5. It’s almost Easter in Peekaboo Wood and readers follow Bunny as he sets up an Easter egg hunt for his friend, Chick.
Talia and the Passover Hug-gadah
Linda Elovitz Marshall, illus. by Francesca Assirelli (Kar-Ben, $19.99; ISBN 979-8-7656-6350-9). Ages 3–8. Talia’s creative ears transform a Passover-related word into something entirely different in this amiable picture book from Elovitz Marshall, an addition to the Talia series.
That Holy Week So Long Ago: The Seven Days That Led to Easter
Matthew Boswell, illus. by Helena Perez Garcia (Crossway, $14.99; ISBN 979-8-8749-0099-1). Ages 5–10. Boswell invites readers to “see the glory and grace of King Jesus as never before” in this earnest exploration of the lead-up to Easter.
Sana Rafi, illus. by Mariam Quraishi. (Chronicle, $18.99; ISBN 978-1-79722-095-6). Ages 3–5. Rafi and Quraishi offer a standard introduction to Eid’s domestic aspects in this warmly familial picture book.
Apryl Stott. (Beach Lane, $19.99; ISBN 978-1-66595-105-0). Ages 4–8. Curiosity and good cheer buoy this bursting-with-blooms outing in which a young rabbit, rejoicing at the change of season, inquires how other animals greet spring’s arrival.
Welcome, Uncle Nowruz! A Persian New Year’s Story
Rashin Kheiriyeh. (NorthSouth, $19.95; ISBN 978-0-7358-4617-3). Ages 4–8. In this high-spirited seasonal picture book, Kheiriyeh reimagines the Iranian folktale of Nane Sarma, who embodies winter, and Uncle Nowruz, the messenger of spring. The book received a starred review from PW.
Katrina Goldsaito, illus. by Yas Imamura. (Little, Brown, $18.99; ISBN 978-0-3162-8112-6). Ages 6–8. Learning to appreciate impermanence is the delicate takeaway of this conceptual intergenerational tale. The book received a starred review from PW.
