Clifford's Happy Easter Review
"Hi! I'm Emily Elizabeth, and I love spring. So does my dog Clifford. The best part of springtime is Easter."
Emily Elizabeth's Easter preparations with Clifford also evoke many other holidays around this time of the year, including St. Patrick's Day in March and Flag Day in June.
This humorous book centers around preparations for an Easter egg hunt. Emily Elizabeth's Mom and Dad provide an enormous quantity of eggs. Emily Elizabeth and Clifford begin to color them. But Clifford, being a VERY BIG RED DOG, has a few problems. He crushes more eggs than he is able to decorate. He falls into the vat of dye for the eggs. Before he's done, you even see a tie-dyed Clifford!
But Clifford's size comes in handy when he helps the children hunt for the eggs. He can see and reach all kinds and places that the children would otherwise miss.
When the eggs are all found, Emily Elizabeth and Clifford share the eggs with their friends. "After all, friends are what make Easter a happy day."
This book has many attractions for youngsters. First, it provides lots of simple sentences that make for a good beginning reader. The sentences are echoed in the illustrations to provide clues for your child that will help her or him decode the words.
Second, the story encourages warm feelings towards family, animals, and friends. Children need to develop their "emotional intelligence" in all directions, and many books forget to nurture this part of the budding reader.
Third, the book takes a friendly look at differences. Sure, if you are different, that will present some problems . . . but it will also provide some opportunities. Children are very sensitive about differences, and this book should help reduce the anxiety.
Fourth, the story is very funny in many places. Humor is a great way to attract children to valuable lessons, and this book is outstanding in making the subjects more fun.
Fifth, the book goes off into several imaginative tracks that will encourage your child to use his or her imagination. What does happen when different combinations of colors get mixed together?
I suggest that you use this book to encourage your child to plan out some Easter egg activities. You can duplicate or build on what is in the book. Don't forget to try some color experiments with the eggs!
By the way, having been the Easter egg hider for three decades, I suggest you make a little map of where they all are. That can save some smelly leftovers in the future.
May your family's Easter be filled with the spirit of the true meaning of that holiday!
Clifford's Happy Easter Overview
Clifford loves to help Emily Elizabeth, but his big red paws break eggs instead of painting them. Luckily, Clifford helps Emily another way-in her dreams! A bucket of Easter-egg dye creates the most colorful Clifford adventure yet, and gets Emily ready for an unforgettable holiday.
