Reading books for Lent seems natural given the way our culture often thinks about both reading and the season itself. Lent is a time of discipline and reflection, and reading can sometimes feel like another form of self-improvement and thus a natural appendage to that liturgical season.
But Eastertide is different. The season lasts 50 days — longer than Lent — and instead of sacrifice, it invites us to lean into joy. From Easter to Pentecost, the Church stretches the celebration of the Resurrection across weeks, almost as if the Alleluia refuses to fade. Because if we’re completely honest with ourselves, sustaining joy for 50 days can sometimes be harder than giving something up for 40, at least for my family who can struggle with simply maintaining peace for a morning together, much less resounding joy.
LISTEN: Creative Ways to Celebrate 50 Days of Easter
With this said, one of my favorite Eastertide practices is reading aloud with my family as a means to practice joy together. My children don’t always agree on much, including what we should read — one tends to lobby for chapter books while the other campaigns hard for graphic novels — but we always seem to find our way into a story together every Eastertide. And that’s really the point. Not because reading makes us smarter or more accomplished, but because stories bring us closer to one another — and, if we read them intentionally, closer to God. Good books can help us be good people, but they can also help us be joyful — the kind of joy beyond happiness that Christians identify as a fruit of the Spirit.
Here are five books I recommend reading with your family during Eastertide.
1. “The Runaway Bunny” by Margaret Wise Brown (ages 3–8)
This is one of my family’s perennial favorites. Margaret Wise Brown’s classic picture book tells the story of a little bunny who imagines running away in a series of playful transformations — becoming a fish, a bird, and even a trapeze artist. Each time, his mother responds by becoming whatever she must be in order to stay close to him.
What begins as a simple bedtime story gradually becomes something more profound, a reflection on a type of love that follows us wherever we go. I once wrote a longer reflection on this book on my Substack, but the heart of it is simple: The bunny’s return home always reminds me of the homecoming we witness at the Easter Vigil, when the Church slowly fills with candlelight and people come forward to be baptized and welcomed into a family that has been waiting for them all along.
2. “The Bronze Bow” by Elizabeth George Speare (ages 10+)
This year, my family is beginning “The Bronze Bow” as our Eastertide chapter book. Speare’s Newbery Medal–winning novel takes place in first-century Galilee and follows Daniel, a young Jewish rebel struggling with anger and grief under Roman rule.
Over the course of the story, Daniel encounters Jesus and gradually learns that the strength he longs for may look very different than what he expected. The novel wrestles with themes of justice, mercy, and healing — making it a thoughtful read for older children and families during the season of resurrection and renewal. I appreciate that the depiction of Jesus in the book is historically and scripturally grounded at the same time. It leads readers to feel Jesus’s love through redemption in a new way, not being told the story but being immersed in it through Daniel’s narration. I’ve been waiting for years for my children to be at the age where we can read this one together. In fact, it’s prominently displayed in the entryway to our house, so my children already know what’s next on our family docket.
RELATED: The Signs and Symbols of Easter
3.“Anne of Green Gables” by L. M. Montgomery (ages 8+)
In our house, Anne Shirley tends to appear with the change of seasons. We have three books left to go, but if you haven’t yet begun this delightful series, I would suggest starting with “Anne of Green Gables.” As many of you may recall, the story begins with an 11-year-old girl arriving at Green Gables in late spring, with flowers blooming all around her, as she slowly begins to find her place in a new home.
One of the lovely features of the Anne books is how attentively they follow the turning of the seasons. That renewal can feel almost liturgical: a reminder that life reveals itself to us in seasons of waiting, growth, and, of course, joy — which is why this book, and the series as a whole, feels especially fitting for Eastertide.
Anne herself captures the idea of joy and resurrection being intertwined in “Anne of the Island”: “Everything is made new in the spring. Springs themselves are always so new, too. No spring is ever just like any other spring. It always has something of its own to be its peculiar sweetness.” That sense of newness naturally points us toward the Resurrection — the promise that God is always making the world new again.
4. “Marshmallow: An Easter and Springtime Book for Kids” by Clare Turlay Newberry (ages 4–8)
I remember reading this book as a child with my mother, and I love reading it with my children now: It’s perfect for Easter morning (and baskets if you celebrate that tradition) because it features a bunny named — you guessed it — Marshmallow. This Caldecott Medal–winning picture book (the top children’s award for illustrations) tells the story of Oliver, a housecat who is used to being the center of attention — until his owner brings home Marshmallow. Shenanigans, as you might imagine, ensue!
At first, Oliver reacts with jealousy and suspicion, keeping his distance from the newcomer. But over time, something changes. Curiosity softens into patience, and patience slowly grows into friendship. By the end of the story, Oliver and Marshmallow are, quite frankly and adorably, inseparable. The pastel colors of the illustrations in this one fit the season beautifully, and it’s fun to read aloud for caregivers and children alike.
This one is a reminder that friendship isn’t always as instantaneous as we might like (sometimes a needed reminder for adults and children alike) but that it can grow slowly through small acts of trust and kindness. During Eastertide — when the Church celebrates renewal and new life — this little book offers a beautiful way to talk with children about the gift of friendship and the joy of welcoming others into our lives, renewing our communities one small act of kindness at a time.
RELATED: 3 Ways to Maintain Joy Throughout the Easter Season
5.“Las Mañanitas: The Beautiful Celebration of Our Lady of Guadalupe” by Ernesto Joel Vega Rosales and Jeanette Gonzalez Seneviratne (ages 5–10)
This is one I only recently discovered — and immediately fell in love with — while doing some volunteer work in a Catholic school. The book introduces young readers to the tradition of “Las Mañanitas,” the joyful song often sung on birthdays throughout the Spanish-speaking world, and its connection to celebrations of Our Lady of Guadalupe.
What makes the book especially wonderful for families is that it is bilingual, with text in both English and Spanish. Even if your household isn’t fluent in Spanish, the format invites children to hear and experience another language while learning about one of the Church’s most beloved Marian traditions. My family lives in San Antonio, so it’s especially nice to practice Spanish and to think about the friendships that grow when we learn one another’s languages and traditions.
The vibrant illustrations bring the celebrations to life and highlight the beauty of the Church across cultures. And there is a lovely Easter echo here, too. In the story of Guadalupe, roses bloom unexpectedly in winter when St. Juan Diego opens his cloak — a sign of new life appearing where no one expected it. In its own way, the image points toward the same hope Christians celebrate at Easter: that God is always making the world new. Overall, this book provides a joyful reminder that the faith — and the joy of Easter — can be celebrated in many languages, many homes, and many traditions. It’s a wonderful addition to your Easter reading.
My children often tease me about how excited I get to read with them as we turn to each new liturgical season, but so much of it is simply about spending time together and creating a family culture formed by stories. Eastertide is one of my favorite seasons to read together, because sharing stories during these 50 days can become one small way of entering into the joy of the Resurrection — together, book in hand and hearts open to God’s love.
