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I Am Not the Easter Bunny

Apr20
I Am Not the Easter Bunny

I Am Not the Easter Bunny

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I Am Not the Easter Bunny

T. L. McBeth

Walker Books, 2025

40pp., hbk., RRP $A19.99

9781761601194

There is an old saying, “If it looks like a duck, swims like a duck, and quacks like a duck, then it probably is a duck”. So, if it’s a white bunny, with a fluffy cotton tail, wearing a bow tie and vest, carrying a basket full of painted eggs and other candy, then surely it must be the Easter Bunny!

Written as a conversation between the narrator who insists all the clues point to this being the Easter Bunny and a white bunny who insists he is not, and there are logical explanations for his actions, this is a story for young readers carried along in the playful back-and-forth that will make them focus on their vision and version of the real Easter Bunny, inspiring their own conversations and artwork.

But its format could also be used to introduce the concept and layout of dialogue for slightly older readers, as the narrator’s voice is in regular text while the bunny’s is presents as speech bubbles. How might this have been written in a novel using quotation marks and other punctuation? Some might even like to turn it into a Readers Theatre to perform for younger students.

Even older readers could enjoy it as an introduction to the concept of stereotyping, perhaps beginning by drawing their image of Easter Bunny before the book is shared, and discussing how their interpretations compare to those of their friends as well as those identified in the book. Even the too-cool-for-school brigade harbour a secret belief in this particular childhood favourite so this is a great opportunity to engage them in the fun while still respecting their growing maturity.

So what seems like, and has often been appropriated as, a book for the very young can have application across the school bringing a bit of light-hearted relief to everyone. 

 

The Kids Who Rescued Easter

Mar19
The Kids Who Rescued Easter

The Kids Who Rescued Easter

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Kids Who Rescued Easter

Jackie Hosking

Nathaniel Eckstrom

Walker Books, 2025

32pp., hbk., RRP $A24.99

9781760657390

There were whispers in the garden for the word had got around that Easter Bunny’s eggs had rolled away.

He was on his way to hide them, when he dropped them on the ground and now he has no eggs for Easter Day…

But all the tried and trusty neighbours from the houses near and far had gathered in the garden , keen to find the eggs and help Easter Bunny.  All the children had bikes, skateboards, trikes and there was even a little redhead on his homemade scooter and were keen to join the search, although there was doubt whether the scooter would make it until Nancy vouched for its durability. So off up the hills they went in search of the eggs – but were they really doing Easter Bunny a favour?

This delightful story from she who gave us When Santa Got Stuck in a Gum Tree, should come with a WARNING  sticker, because if you are familiar with A. B. Paterson’s The Man from Snowy River and, in particular the version by Wallis and Matilda then you are going to have an earworm for the rest of the day.  This is a clever take on this iconic poem, both in theme and rhythm providing a uniquely Australian tale about this time of the year that every child will love to hear, regardless of their age.

Superb. Definitely one for your personal collection to share and share and share.

(And just in case you haven’t discovered Wallis and Matilda’s musical renditions of Paterson’s poems because you’re not old enough, here’s my Easter gift to you…)

The Easter Bunny Hunt

Mar3
The Easter Bunny Hunt

The Easter Bunny Hunt

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Easter Bunny Hunt

Stacy Gregg

Sarah Jennings

HarperCollins, 2024

32pp., hbk., RRP $A24.99

9780008623043

Easter is here and Cat and Dog find the bunny’s basket but there are no eggs in it.  

So Cat goes in search of the Easter Bunny, following Dog’s somewhat meagre and misleading clues,  meaning a lot of creatures with long ears and floppy tails come to celebrate Easter, but none of the is the Easter Bunny. Will Cat ever find who he is looking for?

Little ones will delight in this new story for the Easter season, and once they realise the pattern, will have fun predicting just which creature Cat might have brought to the party this time, as they apply their existing knowledge of creature features to match the illustrations, while learning the importance of trying to be as precise as they can.

 

Little Wombat’s Easter Surprise

Apr9
Little Wombat's Easter Surprise

Little Wombat’s Easter Surprise

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Little Wombat’s Easter Surprise

Charles Fuge

Walker, 2022 

28pp., hbk., RRP $A24.99

9781760654269

Little Wombat is busy collecting eggs on his Easter hunt when he sees Rabbit hop by wearing a special Easter Bunny costume. It’s such a good costume that the tail and nose won’t come even off – but wait, is that really Rabbit? Or is it his new friend, Bilby?

In 1991,  the Foundation for Rabbit Free Australia (RFA) developed and registered the Easter Bilby campaign  to raise awareness of the damage rabbits do to native wildlife, and to raise money with royalties from Easter Bilby sales to fund research programs. In 1993, Haigh’s Chocolates in Adelaide stopped making chocolate Easter bunnies and made the first Easter Bilby, donating part of the proceeds to RFA.  More recently the Easter Bilbies have been made by Fyna Foods sold under the brands of Australian Bush Friends and Pink Lady and have been stocked by national chains and other independent stores. 

Aligned to this, in 1999 the  Save the Bilby Fund was established in 1999 to raise money and awareness to help stop the steady decline of bilbies. The fund helps support bilby conservation initiatives including a breeding program and a “bilby fence” creating a predator-free zone in Western Queensland. 

Dedicated to Tim Faulkner and his work with Aussie Ark ,Little Wombat’s Easter Surprise shines a new light on the both the plight of the bilby and the reasons behind Australia having such a unique interpretation of the familiar Easter Bunny both for the young audience and their parents who share it because they will be too young to remember the circumstances.  As in Swim, Little Wombat, Swim,  Little Wombat tries to mimic the actions of his new friends Bilby and Easter Bunny only to discover he has his own unique talents that come in very handy for building friendships and having fun.

As well as being a fresh story about Easter in Australia, and helping children understand that we each have special abilities that we can use for the good of others, it is a great way to introduce another Australian species, sadly also endangered, and raising awareness (and perhaps money) that there are many who need our help.  

Little Wombat’s Easter Surprise

Mar28
Little Wombat's Easter Surprise

Little Wombat’s Easter Surprise

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Little Wombat’s Easter Surprise

Charles Fuge

Walker, 2022 

28pp., hbk., RRP $A24.99

9781760654269

Little Wombat is busy collecting eggs on his Easter hunt when he sees Rabbit hop by wearing a special Easter Bunny costume. It’s such a good costume that the tail and nose won’t come even off – but wait, is that really Rabbit? Or is it his new friend, Bilby?

In 1991,  the Foundation for Rabbit Free Australia (RFA) developed and registered the Easter Bilby campaign  to raise awareness of the damage rabbits do to native wildlife, and to raise money with royalties from Easter Bilby sales to fund research programs. In 1993, Haigh’s Chocolates in Adelaide stopped making chocolate Easter bunnies and made the first Easter Bilby, donating part of the proceeds to RFA.  More recently the Easter Bilbies have been made by Fyna Foods sold under the brands of Australian Bush Friends and Pink Lady and have been stocked by national chains and other independent stores. 

Aligned to this, in 1999 the  Save the Bilby Fund was established in 1999 to raise money and awareness to help stop the steady decline of bilbies. The fund helps support bilby conservation initiatives including a breeding program and a “bilby fence” creating a predator-free zone in Western Queensland. 

Dedicated to Tim Faulkner and his work with Aussie Ark ,Little Wombat’s Easter Surprise shines a new light on the both the plight of the bilby and the reasons behind Australia having such a unique interpretation of the familiar Easter Bunny both for the young audience and their parents who share it because they will be too young to remember the circumstances.  As in Swim, Little Wombat, Swim,  Little Wombat tries to mimic the actions of his new friends Bilby and Easter Bunny only to discover he has his own unique talents that come in very handy for building friendships and having fun.

As well as being a fresh story about Easter in Australia, and helping children understand that we each have special abilities that we can use for the good of others, it is a great way to introduce another Australian species, sadly also endangered, and raising awareness (and perhaps money) that there are many who need our help.  

Bluey: Easter

Mar26
Bluey: Easter

Bluey: Easter

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Bluey: Easter

Bluey

Puffin, 2022

32pp., hbk., RRP $A16.99

9781761044922

It’s Easter! Bluey and Bingo think the Bunny has forgotten them again, until a clue takes them on an egg hunt . . .

But these are not ordinary written clues that might be tricky for them to read – these are clues that make them (and the reader) think hard about where they have to look next.  But one has them stumped and another takes them to a most unusual place where they have to put their brave on..

And yet, there is still no secret stash.  Are Bluey and Bingo so insignificant they are forgettable-again?

There is no doubting the popularity of Bluey and Bingo and to have them feature in a story like this that is not only a situation that young readers will resonate with but also involve them as they help Bluey and her sister solve the clues is perfect.  So while they can see the episode itself online or on television, rather than a fleeting glimpse,  this print version gives them the chance to take their time, to study the clues and work them out engaging them closely with the illustrations and the story, giving them satisfaction when they finally make the connections.  The value of this blue heeler family in the lives of our littlies cannot be underestimated. 

 

 

 

 

 

The Unfunny Bunny

Mar25
The Unfunny Bunny

The Unfunny Bunny

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Unfunny Bunny

Adrian Beck

James Hart

Puffin, 2022

24pp., hbk., RRP $A17.99

9781761043093

’Twas the night before EASTER
When I spotted the BUNNY!
So I offered to help
Make the EGG HUNT more FUNNY!

Like many other families, this one has gathered en masse at the beach house but with the rain tumbling down it doesn’t look like it’s going to be the fun holiday they had planned.  But when the mischievous little kid finds the Easter Bunny hiding eggs in the house, they decide to take matters into their own hands and help out, hiding the eggs in places that are significant to each recipient. But not only are the placements accompanied by an explanation, they also all the worst puns of the season…

Pop’s on a health kick, which he finds unappealing.

So we placed all his eggs up near the ceiling. 

He’ll have to do some hare-robics!”

While the new Easter Bunny is carried away with the pranks and the  jokes, they finally notice that the real Easter Bunny is not amused, and perhaps there should be a re-think of the  plans… Perhaps the funny bunny isn’t so funny after all. 

From the rollicking rhyme, to the predictable puns to the perfect illustrations this is a story that needs to be read aloud to an audience because the groans of those who get the incessant plays on words will just add to the atmosphere. Even though the Easter Bunny has heard them all before, the listeners will not and they will delight in the fun and the joy as they add to them with their own (while learning a bit more about how our language works.)  And because James Hart has cleverly depicted the main character as gender-neutral, each child will see themselves being the Easter Bunny’s offsider and wondering how they could play similar pranks. 

But this is more than just an “hare-larious” story that opens up opportunities for the more serious to explore puns in particular and humour in general – it’s just plain fun and while Easter may again look different for many this year because after the fires and the pestilence, many are now coping with floods, it it still those strong family connections that glue us together whatever the circumstances.  

One to share year after year…