Book Review: "The Story of the First Easter Bunny"

Have you ever thought of the Easter Bunny as a religious symbol? Well, if you read this book, I think you will discover that it can be.

“The Story of the First Easter Bunny,” by Anthony DeStefano, is presented as the “story of Easter as seen through the eyes of a very cute rabbit with large, floppy ears.” The small rabbit decides to seek healing for his very ill mother. He has heard of “the Man who could heal with the touch of his hand” and with a leap of courage, he decides to find “this man who must be from God.” 

DeStefano, with his creative and delightful rhyming verse, draws us into the story of a self-less rabbit who is desperate for the healing of his mother. In the process, we find ourselves with the bunny at the Last Supper listening to Jesus’ words and his call to “believe that though he will be put to death, he will arise.” 

We join the rabbit in prayer for the healing of his mother as we find ourselves at Golgatha and Jesus facing crucifixion. We struggle with a sense of guilt and helplessness as we find Jesus nailed to the cross and the dim prospects of him healing the rabbit’s mother. The bunny stays as Jesus is placed in a tomb and then, he returns home in great sorrow.

However, recalling Jesus’ Last Supper proclamation that he “will arise from death on the cross,” the bunny decides to carry his mother to the “man in the tomb” and pray for a miracle. After waiting patiently for several hours, he is astounded at seeing the “man who had died on the tree” walk out of the tomb. The man, looking at the bunny’s ill mother, bent down to gently pet her fur, and she was awakened and healed.

Filled with an abundance of joy and thankfulness, the bunny told everyone about the miracle and the “life-changing news” that the man had the power to save and that he could save their lives, too.

“The Story of the First Easter Bunny” with DeStefano’s wonderful rhyming verse and Richard Cowdrey’s beautiful, depictive illustrations (I can see why he is a New York Times Best-selling artist) provides us with an inspiring reminder that God’s love is ever-present and that the Easter Bunny can definitely be a religious symbol.  

While this book is designed for children, the message is for us all and I highly recommend it.

John Dolezal is a freelance writer for the Sooner Catholic.