Jesus Is Risen!: An Easter Pop-Up Book

PreS-Gr 1—Traini illustrates the resurrection and ascension of Jesus and Pentecost in a pop-up book format for young readers. Using a color palette of lavenders, blues, and cool-toned browns, Traini's cartoon rendering of the Easter story is visually pleasing, though the text is quite simplistic. The book dives straight into the resurrection and provides almost no background information other than: "It had been three days since Jesus died on a cross, and his friends were sad." Additionally, there is little sense of the passage of time between events and Peter is the only named disciple. The narrative is peppered with recognizable quotes ("Peace be with you"), which can aid children in connecting this story to Mass. Younger kids will enjoy the friendly-looking birds, cats, and goats that populate the edges of the scenes, while smaller details, such as lilies, can prompt discussions on symbolism. All of the figures are illustrated with the same light tan skin. The pop-ups are the obvious draw of this work; the horizontal format allows Traini to add depth to his scenes and gives readers the chance to linger.