The Legend of the Easter Robin: An Easter Story of Compassion and Faith

by Dandi Daley Mackall, Richard Cowdrey (Illustrator)

Overview

This newly illustrated edition of The Legend of the Easter Robin renews the wonder and charm of the original and timeless tale written by Dandi Daley Mackall. With new vibrant artwork from New York Times bestselling illustrator, Richard Cowdrey, this holiday classic is brought to life for a new generation. The Legend of the Easter Robin tells the story of Tressa, whose grandmother reveals to her the story of a small robin who saw Jesus struggling and soared to help him. This Easter tale reminds Christians everywhere how much Jesus sacrificed for us and how much he loves us.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780310749837
Publisher:	Zonderkidz
Publication date:	01/26/2016
Sold by:	HarperCollins Publishing
Format:	eBook
Pages:	30
Sales rank:	781,997
File size:	57 MB
Note:	This product may take a few minutes to download.
Age Range:	4 - 8 Years

About the Author

Dandi Daley Mackall loves God, children, words, and animals. Her nearly 500 books for children and grown-ups have sold more than four million copies worldwide. She won the ECPA Christian Book Award for Best Children’s Book 2015 and multiple Mom’s Choice Awards, as well as ALA Best Book, NY Public Library Top Pick, Children’s Book Council Award of Excellence, and the Helen Keating Ott Award for Contributions to Children’s Literature. Her novel My Boyfriends’ Dogs is now a Hallmark Movie. Dandi writes from rural Ohio, where she lives with her family, including horses, dogs, cats, and an occasional squirrel, deer, or raccoon.

 

Richard Cowdrey's favorite things to draw and paint are the things that reflect the awesomeness of God and his creation. From vast landscapes to the littlest bug on a leaf, Richard marvels at the beauty in the details. Richard's bestselling children's books include Fiona the Hippo, Legend of the Candy Cane, Bad Dog, Marley and A Very Marley Christmas.

 

Editorial Reviews

02/08/2016
New artwork from Cowdrey accompanies this faith-centric Easter story, first published in 2010. A golden-haired girl named Tressa is concerned about the robin’s nest on her grandmother’s windowsill: “A million things could go wrong when a robin tried to nest this early.” As Tressa and her grandmother dye Easter eggs, her grandmother tells her the Pennsylvania Dutch legend behind the robin’s red breast, dyed by a drop of Jesus’ blood after the robin plucked a thorn from his crown. Dramatic sepia-colored scenes emphasize the weight of Jesus’ cross and the violence of his procession through Jerusalem, creating a startling and powerful contrast against the cozy, present-day domestic scenes. Ages 4–8. (Jan.)

Publishers Weekly

2016-01-20
A Pennsylvania Dutch folk tale about the origin of the robin's red breast is woven into a story of a girl and her grandmother preparing for Easter together. This interpretation offers new illustrations for a work that was originally published as The Story of the Easter Robin and illustrated by Anna Vojtech (2010). The cheery, new cover shows a little blonde white girl and her appealing dog gazing out a window at a robin's nest with five eggs (though the text clearly specifies four eggs). Tressa and her grandmother watch as a pair of robins builds a nest right outside their window in the days before Easter. Tressa worries about the safety of the eggs, and her grandmother reassures her repeatedly that God will take care of the robins. They make bird decorations from dyed eggs, and Gran tells Tressa a legend about robins and why their breasts are red. At the crucifixion of Jesus, a robin pulled a thorn out of Jesus' forehead, and a drop of blood stained the bird's breast. The illustrations of the girl and the grandmother are cheerful and contemporary, but the depictions of the robin at the crucifixion shift to a dark sepia palette with frightening overtones. Jesus is shown carrying the cross, wearing the crown of thorns, and a menacing hand with a whip strikes out at both Jesus and the robin. (Birders will quibble that the robin depicted in the crucifixion story is American, a geographical impossibility.) The relatively lengthy text veers from chipper to lugubrious, with a preachy tone overall. Well-meant but heavy-handed. (author's note) (Religion/picture book. 4-7)

Kirkus Reviews