His Treasure Seekers

Can you believe the Easter season is almost upon us?  My children have been asking for some of the books our family enjoys leading up to the celebration of Christ’s resurrection, we jumped at the chance to review a new addition to that collection.  They couldn’t wait to read The Legend of the Easter Robin: An Easter Story of Compassion and Faith by Dandi Daley Mackall.

The Legend of the Easter Robin points to Christ in numerous ways.  The overall story is about a little girl, Tressa, who delights in watching a family of robins from the time the parents build their nest until the little ones hatch safely out of the pale blue eggs.  She and her grandmother discuss different aspects of the experience along the way:

• trusting the Creator to keep one safe
• celebrating with Easter birds made from egg shells
• the robin’s red breast reminding us of Jesus’ blood and sacrifice

Throughout the book, Tressa worries about the baby robins, but when they finally hatch, she is “sorry she’d ever doubted God’s care,” and she determines that whenever she sees a robin or feels worried, she’ll remember the legend of the robin who tried to spare Jesus the pain of his thorny crown.  The final page of the book tells about the history of the Pennsylvania Dutch legend of the robin’s red breast and the traditions discussed in the story.

Richard Cowdrey’s beautiful illustrations draw the reader’s eye on every page.  I especially like the black and white sketches of Jesus with the dramatic touch of red as his blood falls on the robin’s breast.  This book takes elements of “spring” that can often dominate Easter festivities and points to the true reason we celebrate.  It’s definitely going to be pulled out year after year as we look to remember Christ’s sacrifice.