Rise: A Child’s Guide to Eastertide ― Part of the "Circle of Wonder" Series

From Laura Alary, author of Make Room: A Child's Guide to Lent and Easter, comes the next in the Circle of Wonder series. 

On Easter morning, a child revels in the colors and sounds of celebration. The church is bright with flowers and all the songs are full of hallelujahs. But as she repeats the joyful words, Christ is Risen, secretly she wonders, “What does Easter have to do with me?”

Rise: A Child’s Guide to Eastertide follows a child through the fifty days of Easter, as she shares in family and community celebrations, hears stories of the Risen Jesus, notices how the world around her is coming alive again, and ponders how growth and new beginnings are part of her own life. Rise is the fourth book in the "Circle of Wonder: Liturgical Year Resource Set." (Click HERE for free DOWNLOADABLE RESOURCES)
 
Out of this wondering comes a new way of seeing. Easter is not just about what happened to Jesus long ago. It is about change and transformation here and now. When we let go of things—even our own mistakes; when we look for Jesus and find him in new places; when we fall and get up again; when we share a feast; when we love—that is Easter.
 
Resurrection is a big word.
It means rise again.
I used to think it was a word
only for what happened to Jesus.
But now I’m not so sure.

Sometimes we trip and fall.
But falling does not have to be
the end of the story.
Peter did something bad
because he was scared.
But Jesus let him try again.

I like how Jesus feeds his friends,
even if they didn’t really deserve it.
I like how he gives Peter another chance
to show what he can do.
Maybe Jesus could see
that Peter was much more
than the mistake he made.
Maybe this is resurrection too.

Learn more about the Circle of Wonder Series and download your FREE resources here!

Other titles in the Circle of Wonder series include:

Look! A Child's Guide to Advent and Christmas
Make Room: A Child's Guide to Lent and Easter
Breathe: A Child's Guide to Ascension, Pentecost, and the Growing Time

Laura Alary is a storyteller, educator, and writer who delights in writing stories that make us bigger on the inside. Among her many books are Make Room: A Child's Guide to Lent and Easter, Look! A Child's Guide to Advent and Christmas, Breathe: A Child's Guide to Ascension, Pentecost, and the Growing Time and Rise: A Child’s Guide to Eastertide​. A trained theologian and biblical scholar with degrees in Classics (B.A., Dalhousie), Theology (M.Div., Knox College, University of Toronto) and New Testament (Ph.D., University of St. Michael’s College), Laura currently works in a theological library. She lives with her three children in Toronto, where she likes to go for walks in the woods, tend her tiny pollinator garden, and keep her eyes open for signs of new life.

Giuliano Ferri is an artist, animator, and award-winning illustrator of many children's books. His work has been exhibited in museums around the world. Mr. Ferri also works with young people with disabilities, using animation and comic theater as therapy.