We all have our favorite Easter stories, and usually they involve bunnies. Whether it’s Peter Cottontail hopping down the bunny trail or another cute little rabbit, chick, or other creature, these stories bring smiles to our faces, even years later.
The stories of our childhood and ones that have been written later are great to share with children of any age. Reading to them or with them can help them develop mentally. And they’ll be captivated by the wonderful illustrations of friendly creatures.
We’ve picked just a few of the many, many tales that involve animals at Easter. We hope you and your children enjoy!
Here Come Peter Cottontail Board Book
All the way back in 1949, “Here Comes Peter Cottontail” was written by Steve Nelson and Jack Rollins, who also teamed up to compose Frosty the Snowman. They soon asked Gene Autry to record a version, and the rest is history! We’ve all joined in hopping down the bunny trail ever since.
This beautifully-illustrated board book includes the text of the song. But even better, just press on the pages and you’ll hear the music (just the tune – it’s not sung)! Your children will quickly learn to sing along – and you’ll have trouble resisting joining in.
Peter Rabbit Naturally Better Classic Gift Set
It’s easy to get them mixed up, but Peter Cottontail and Peter Rabbit aren’t the same pers..errr…bunny. We suppose they’re distant cousins, though.
But Peter Rabbit is a classic in its own right. The book by Beatrice Potter was published in 1901 but continues to be a favorite well over a century later! It’s great for kids in Pre-K up through first and second grade, but will bring warm memories to parents, too.
This set includes The Tale of Peter Rabbit as well as three other works by the author: The Tale of Jeremy Fisher, The Tale of Jemima Puddle-Duck, and The Tale of Jeremy Fisher. While lesser-known, they’re still wonderful for young children to enjoy!
This is a set of hardcover books that comes in a boxed set. The boxes measure about 3 inches by 4 inches.
Beatrix Potter Peter Rabbit Soft Teether Book
Younger children can enjoy Peter Cottontail, too, and this teether book is a great introduction.
The book is soft and safe to teeth. It measures about 6 1/2″ square. The material makes the typical crinkly noise and there’s a squeaker to help hold your baby’s attention.
The illustrations are great and the highlights of the story’s text accompany them.
A toy carrot is attached but the book itself is more attractive since it has texture to it, and the carrot is just plain. Like the traditional teether books, the spine is rigid, but the pages are quite soft.
The Easter Egg
This newer story from Jan Brett is geared at pre-school children from 3 – 5 years old. It tells the story of Hoppi, a young rabbit trying to create the best Easter egg. The winner will get to join the Easter Bunny on his rounds. But the competition is stiff.
In the middle of it all, Hoppi sees a robin’s egg fall from its nest, and cares for it until it hatches. When the Easter Bunny comes by, he decides that this broken blue egg is the best of all!
The book is 32 pages long. It measures 10.4 by 11.3 inches.
Jan Brett is one of the most popular author-illustrators of children’s books, with over 40 million in print.
Happy Easter, Mouse
Laura Numeroff and Felicia Bond collaborate on this follow-up to If Your Give A Mouse A Cookie.
This tale is great for toddlers and introduces colors and numbers in a fun way with an Easter theme. It’s a great tale focusing on an Easter Egg Hunt in Mouse’s house.
The book has 24 pages. The story pages each feature one or two sentences and an illustration, each focusing on a color and a number.
Wrapping It Up
There are so many wonderful holiday tales – and many of the main characters have tails, too. And that’s part of what makes them favorites! These old and new stories are all great for children and help them enjoy the traditions that surround Easter.
