Review - The Berenstain Bears' Easter Sunday

Buy Link: Amazon

The Berenstain Bears is one of the most popular and the longest-running picture book series on the market today. The first book was released in 1962 and was written and illustrated by Stan and Jan Berenstain. Sadly, both authors has passed away, but their son, Mike, has taken over the franchise; adding Christian themes to the most recent releases.

The newest book, titled The Berenstain Bears' Easter Sunday, was released last month to bookstores. Like the title suggests, the story is set on Easter Sunday morning, where the Bear family (Papa, Mama, Brother, Sister and Honey) are getting ready to attend church. This is when the cubs asks why everyone has to wear bright colors that day. Mama answers, "Bright colors are for happy, joyous occasions."

The cubs enjoy Easter Sunday's sermon at church, where Preacher Brown tells the story of Jesus. Afterward, the cubs participate in an Easter hunt. No, they're not hunting for colored eggs, but instead they are hunting for gift boxes, which has a Noah's ark figure inside each one.  The cubs end up learning that Easter is so much more than just colored eggs and chocolate bunnies.

Final Thoughts: I grew reading the older Berenstain Bears books, but I have had mixed feeling with the recent releases. I don't mind that the new ones have a Christian themes as long as they don't feel like the stories are preaching to children. The Berenstain Bears' Easter Sunday tells the real meaning behind Easter without preaching too much. While I personally still like chocolate bunnies and even colored eggs, I do like the message here that explains that they don't really have anything to do with Easter; though there's still nothing wrong with liking them. Overall, The Berenstain Bears' Easter Sunday is a cute book for kids with a clever little story and colorful pictures.

*Disclaimer - I received a complimentary copy in exchange for my honest review. All opinions are my own.