Since the beginning of time, nature has announced the presence of God. One need only look at a sunrise, the new birth of spring, or the intricate ways in which nature works together to have at least somewhat of an understanding that something greater than themselves is at work.
When my children were much younger, I remember seeking out the books that helped me explain God's existence and work in our lives. A couple of the stories in this treasury were among those books. While none of the stories are particularly Biblically or even scientifically based, they are sweet stories that can be used as a jumping off point to talk about the true meaning of Easter. As presented in the title, the stories may be based more on folklore and legends yet bring us into the Easter story. For example, were Easter eggs initially used as a symbol of Easter to represent the stone at the tomb and Jesus' breaking out of the tomb as chicks to as represented in The Legend of the Easter Egg? Where did the legend originate that the robin's breast is red to represent Jesus' blood which is the basis of The Legend of the Easter Robin? And last but not least, who hasn't heard the multiple ways in which the sand dollar represents Christ from the "star" on the top to the small dove-like pieces hidden inside as the children are told in The Legend of the Sand Dollar?
While each of these stories are written by different authors, it is the beautiful illustrations in each created by Richard Cowdrey that ties them all together. Personally, I find the artwork the best part of the book.
Hard bound in one volume, The Legends of Easter Treasury is a beautiful collection. I would recommend for home rather than church use for children ages 4 or 5 through perhaps 8 or 10. Again, I think the best use of the book is as a springboard for further parental discussion about Easter.
I did receive this book free from the publisher in exchange for an honest review and am in no way obligated to write a positive one.
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