Easter Reads: Esther The Easter Donkey

Title/Author: Esther The Easter Donkey by Nora Ballew, Illustrated by Matt Zeigler
Genre: Picture book, Easter
Publisher: Amazon Digital Services LLC
Date of publish: February 2016
Pages: 42
Recommended Ages: 5-10

When Esther the donkey comes to live on Potter’s farm, the other animals don’t know what to make of the funny looking donkey with the cross on her back. But before long, they all learn that Esther has an amazing story to share, the true story of Easter!

Perfect for Easter, but relevant all year round, Esther is a tale about dealing with adversity, bullies and demonstrating the power of forgiveness. Opening with the legend of the Easter Donkey, the story takes place on a modern day farm as a new animal is added to the stable, Esther the donkey. It becomes apparent very quickly that while most of the animals are friendly there is a family of goats who aren’t so nice. The other animals tell her to ignore their teasing and bullying, but when she is given the chance to show real courage and forgiveness even the mean goats will pay attention to her story.

This story is told in a way that makes it accessible to children of all ages giving them a example of how friendship and forgiveness should be. The illustrations are simply adorable, bringing to life Esther’s natural sass. This book will make a wonderful Easter tradition for years to come.