ON THAT EASTER MORNING

Joslin and Cann team up again for their second collaboration, this time examining the story of Easter using the same format and style of their previous work, On That Christmas Night. The narrative text is based on passages from all the Gospels of the New Testament, retelling the Biblical stories surrounding Easter in simple language that will be accessible to children in the early elementary grades. The narrative in this version concludes with Jesus appearing to Mary Magdalene on Easter morning, rather than continuing on with the rest of the resurrection saga. Christ’s crucifixion is handled delicately in both text and illustrations, with one page showing Christ carrying the cross, and the facing page showing the three crosses at a distance on the hill at Calvary. Cann’s attractive, polished paintings use lots of patterns in clothing and page borders, and she makes an effort to include women and children whenever possible. The volume’s design incorporates the text blocks into the illustrations at the top of each page, allowing more room for the pictures to tell the story. (Nonfiction. 5-8)