Easter Parade

Review By HUYEN MACMICHAEL

A lovely, vegan-friendly Easter book/song about an Easter bonnet and going through town for the Easter parade. I picked up this story serendipitously at the library and was hopeful that I had found a chicken-free, eggless story for Easter. I lucked out because not only is Easter Parade animal-friendly (well, there are some illustrations of eggs that decorate the bonnet but I suspect they are plastic since no child I know decorates her hat with real eggs then wears it about town), but it is also non-religious in it’s fun celebration of spring and fathers and daughters.

The story narration itself is the composer Irving Berlin’s song lyrics but Lisa McCue takes the liberty of translating them through images of a father speaking/singing to his daughter (sorry, boys). Although Berlin’s lyrics may have pointed more towards a gentlemanly parade date between two people in a romantic relationship, McCue interprets the words in a more innocent and tender fashion as she depicts a father bunny proudly taking his young daughter through town to the parade. The cute, detailed pictures practically tell a whole new story from the lyrics as the daughter bunny receives additions to her hand-decorated hat from friendly townsanimals while she and her father walk cheerfully through town. I enjoyed the bits of humor (such as the renaming of famous New York City stores to the likes of Bird Orf Goodman and having to chase down the spectacular wind-blown bonnet) interspersed through the illustrations as well. Several pages at the end of the book contain Berlin’s words and music for those inclined to sing and play it. I enjoyed this upbeat, colorful tipping-the-hat to spring and warm relationships. (And bonus points to Berlin and McCue that I didn’t have to veganize it!)

Ages 4-8.