Customer Reviews

J Is for Jesus: An Easter Alphabet and Activity Book

5 star:		(3)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

This is the best Easter book I have found to date! J is for Jesus: An Easter Alphabet and Activity Book is written by Debbie Trafton O'Neal and illustrated by Jan Bryan-Hunt. It clearly teaches children about the Holy Week and the reasons we celebrate Easter without being too complicated, too advanced, too secular or too boring. Readers follow Jesus from the triumphant entry (Palm Sunday) through the last supper, His crucifixion, resurrection and ascension.

Rather than forcing the story into an alphabetical order (as most alphabet books do), the author tells the story first, then highlights words within the sentence that feature the alphabetical sequence. For example, the pages for S and T read: "'Your sins are forgiven,' Jesus said. 'You are free!' Then he died on a cross that was carved from a tree." The words "sins" and "tree" are highlighted, but without distracting from the story.

Filled with bright colors, the illustrations are delightfully unique. They feature people of all ethinicities. In the back of the book, the author gives four crafts parents and kids can do together to create Easter memories.

What I Like: It is important to me to teach our children the honest reason we celebrate Easter without frightening them. Death is not a typical discussion with toddlers, but the truth of Jesus' death and resurrection is crucial doctrine. This book doesn't skimp on the key details. It presents the whole story in a wonderfully, positive way. I like being able to focus on the story with or without the alphabet. The introduction and projects in the back are fabulous. The illustrations are magnificent! I was a little nervous about it being a paperback, but the cover is sturdy, and the pages are glossy, making it easy to clean. As a whole, this book is a perfectly delightful teaching tool.

What I Dislike: While this book is extremely accurate for a children's book, one detail did catch my attention. On the pages for W and X the text reads: "The women ran quickly to find the eleven, explaining that Jesus had gone up to heaven." I understand this fits better with the rhyme and alphabetical sequence, however, Jesus did not immediately go up to heaven. Only after appearing to hundreds of people over a period of weeks did He ascend to heaven.

Overall Rating: Very Good.

Tanya -- Christian Children's Book Review

Easter is a wonderful time! It's a celebration with jelly beans, bunnies, bright baskets filled with green artificial grass and those glorious dyed eggs that children will search for in all the nooks and crannies. But it is truly special because God loves us so much he gave us a special gift.

Debbie Trafton O'Neal has created an Easter book that will help children learn about Holy Week and Easter and learn the alphabet through verse. There are also activities for children and adults to make together: a place mat, table runner, window paintings, banner and diorama.

The illustrations are bold and colorful and just the thing to draw children into the fun of learning.

Armchair Interviews says: J is for Jesus: An Easter Alphabet and Activity Book is a perfect Easter gift for your special child.

I loved this book, the art, the rhyme, the thoughtful details...until the end.. the book makes it sound like the miracle of Easter is a rolled-away stone. ( while that is a symbol of Christ's resurrection, that is not the most important part...) and the books also states that Jesus' miracle was that He went straight to Heaven. It makes it sound like Jesus died and went to heaven and for some reason a stone was rolled away, instead of the true power of the resurrection. I know this is an alphabet book for children but I think it's important to get Christianity's most important story correctly told.

I recommend this book to anyone with a small children. It does a wonderful job of describing the first Easter in terms little kids can understand. Plus it goes through each letter of the alphabet to help with reading skills. The large size, simple wording, and bright pictures make it perfect for group reading. I read it to my son's preschool class and they all really liked it.

I purchased two copies of this book - for a 4 year old and a 6 year old. It's not an activity book - the last page has a couple of suggestions for things you could do (i.e. make an easter flag by writing Happy Easter on a piece of fabric). Great for kids who are learning their alphabet, since each page is a different letter. The description, however, is misleading and contradictory - here is a quote -

Age Level: 9 and up | Grade Level: 4 and up
The story of Holy Week and Easter is brought to life through this rhyming, alphabetical journey. Aimed at children ages 4-8 this book will delight the senses of children and adults alike. Four simple activities and craft ideas bring families together to see the story of Jesus's love through new eyes.

It's probably more suited for the 3-5 crowd. I bought it thinking it would be a good supplement for my 6yo as we go through Lent and prepare for Easter. I was also expecting the book to provide activities, not suggestions for activities. Any other book I have purchased that billed itself as an activity book provided something that could be completed on the pages. While it is a beautifully illustrated book and would be great to read to your preschooler, it's not as described. I suppose if the description was correct, it would be five stars - but then I wouldn't have purchased it, so I wouldn't be reviewing it ;)

The art is gorgeous and the ABC's are an added bonus, but the very simple and yet direct story of Jesus, and the real reason we celebrate Easter, is wonderful! This is the only book I've found that addresses the real reason for Easter without being too complicated for young children.

This is a great book, I bought it for my Sunday school class, very colorful.

While the pictures in this book are very good, the "alphabet" examples are not. Also the so-called "activities" are just dumb.