Best Books for Easter Baskets

Devotional Recommendations for Every Age

Every year, I spend hours scouring the internet and Christian book catalogs for the best books for my children’s Easter baskets. Devotionals and other Christian reading materials have strengthened my faith over the years, and I want to afford my children the same faith-forming opportunities. So, even though I’ll be throwing in a spring outfit, an outdoor toy, and some candy-filled eggs, the prospect of my children having practical spiritual resources at their fingertips excites me the most about gifting at Easter.

You may struggle to know which resources will connect best with your children, meeting them where they are in their spiritual development. Below, I’ve reviewed some of the best books on the market for facilitating faith formation in each stage of childhood so you can decide which to add to each of your kids’ baskets. Each title is linked for your convenience!

Easter Basket Book Recs – Birth through Teen

Birth-Pre-K

The Tale of Three Trees is an old retold classic that brings tears to my eyes. These three personified trees have big goals for how their lives will matter. But as things take a surprising turn, children and parents learn that no matter how ugly or hopeless things seem, nothing is too far gone to be redeemed by God. The Tale of Three Trees is often the board book I gift at baby showers because the redemptive power of Jesus is told so beautifully and creatively.

The Garden, the Curtain, and the Cross: The true story of why Jesus died and rose again

Children’s storybooks don’t often delve into the deep waters of theology in retelling God’s story. At least they didn’t when I was growing up. That’s all changing in today’s Christian market. Carl Laferton’s down-to-earth words, paired with Catalina Echeverri’s beautiful art, take the imagery of the temple curtain and reveal God’s great love story. His death on the cross forever tore the curtain that separated us from God.

I’m even more excited to share this “best book” recommendation because I met the author on a Zoom call hosted by my literary agency. Carl was so encouraging to share his expertise as an author and the executive vice president of publishing at The Good Book Company. All the while, he was talking about his own life with young kids at home.

His Grace Is Enough: How God Makes It Right When You’ve Got It Wrong

We have enough pressure in our lives to be hard on ourselves. This rhyming picture book meets us in the hardship of living in the flesh with God’s grace because of Jesus’s sacrifice. With fun illustrations to accompany this “meets us where we are” message, it can hang with the best of them in the children’s section of the library. My daughter, who is especially prone to harsh self-criticism, enjoyed sitting back and letting her soul rest in the security of God’s love and forgiveness shared in the message of this book.

This is the Gospel: A Kids Read Truth Story & Scripture Book is one of the most well-done depictions of the gospel for children. In addition to creatively placed text, the modern graphics remind us that the story of God is a multi-cultural one. This is the Gospel gives children a rich resource to come back to time and again to remind them of the basic truths of the story of God. It even offers tips to parents in the back of the book for making the most of the resource through conversational prompts.

The Berenstain Bears Values and Virtues Treasury

The Berenstain Bears are Christian delights in the world of children’s literature. I grew up in the 80s and had books featuring these famous bears on my shelves, yet I didn’t recall them being spiritual. I kind of love the fact that I thought these were just regular children’s books, and yet I was learning about God.

I recently heard in an Axis video that kids sometimes just need confirmation that what their parents teach them is also true outside their family bubble. This book helps bridge that gap so that what you teach inside your home is also what they see taught in some of the most popular children’s book series on the market.

Since reintroducing them to my youngest child, I have come to a deep appreciation for the “values and virtues” the Berenstain Bears collection reinforces with the help of each story’s accompanying Bible verse.

*Amazon affiliate links included. I may get a small earning from the unique purchase links in this article, helping me continue to provide quality content.

Kindergarten-5^th

Being Challenge Kids:

A 40-Day Challenge to Be Like Jesus

Part of the Red Letter Challenge series, this Easter basket gem is possibly the most robust in faith-forming potential. It refuses to water down or underestimate the ability of a child to form “keystone habits” that will help them navigate a vibrant future full of big faith.

Beginning with a dramatic and inspiring story of the most decorated Olympian in history (Michael Phelps), it encourages and equips children to pursue a life of following Jesus through tangible everyday choices, including reading the Bible, spending time in solitude with God, and intentionally investing in a community of faith.

Bonus: The red, black, and white graphics make this devotional tool fun and user-friendly.

Notes from Jesus: What Your New Best Friends Wants You to Know

This unique devotional resource looks like a book of postcards and taps into the developmentally appropriate milestone in which kids begin to prioritize friendships over family relationships. It puts Jesus at the center of the best relationship a kid can have in life. Notes from Jesus reads in the first person, as if Jesus himself is speaking to the child, and focuses on the intimacy and incomparable love of Jesus.

Sticky Situations: 365 Devotions for Kids and Families is the perfect read before heading to the school bus. These five-minute reads depict everyday “sticky situations” kids encounter with family members, friends, authority figures, and peers. The book offers an interactive multiple choice at the end of each story to get young readers thinking about how they can follow God in all things. The short devotions each end with a Bible verse to point young disciples to God’s guidance in choosing right. My youngest daughter and I consistently practiced reading these each morning for months.

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Walking with Jesus Activity Book: The best resources for growing a child’s faith meet them where they are in their active lifestyle. The thin Walking with Jesus Activity Book imparts deep wisdom through puzzles, riddles, jokes, crafts, and more. It teaches kids how to memorize key verses, pray, and spend time reflecting in relationship with God.

Indescribable: 100 Devotionals about God & Science: This one is an oldie but goodie. Written by Louie Giglio, whose work I originally discovered in my early twenties when he was making mind-blowing videos about God’s creation in outer space. We’ve had this in our devotional toolbox since our 15-year-old was in elementary school. It’s exceptionally well done, including super fun illustrations with outrageous facts about the diversity of God’s creation, from stink plants to eyeballs to astronomical phenomenons that resemble the cross. For someone who has never loved science, I love this book and the awe it brings to our Creator God.

Preteen/Teen

Seamless: Understanding the Bible as One Complete Story

This bible study comes highly recommended by my 13-year-old daughter, who has been going through it with her spiritual mentor. It has allowed her to understand the Bible as a complete story and to simultaneously laugh, ask big questions, be curious, and stand in awe. It’s laid out like a workbook, making it easy to take notes, answer questions, and fill in family trees. I pray it will be a resource my daughter looks back on time and again throughout her faith journey.

Parenting in the digital age got you feeling like you’re in a constant battle with your kids? Get ten tips for parenting positively through the digital age with faith and wisdom. 

The (Young) Men We Need: God’s Purpose for Every Guy and How You Can Live It Out

This spiritual resource for teenage boys was recommended to me by a friend who has (and is currently) parenting several adolescent boys. I’ve always admired how my friend connected with her children through reading. Even though some of her children are now teenagers, they have never stopped reading together.

I’ve not yet read this devotional with my own 15-year-old son, but you better believe it’s going in his Easter basket so we can begin the same practice—walking alongside my son as he discovers his unique and high calling as a young man.

The Prayer Map for Teen Girls allows young women to develop their prayer muscle and confide in God in all things. With sections for pouring out gratitude, worries, and prayers for others, this journal is a companion to their growth in the spiritual discipline of prayer. Creatively laid out with trendy graphics, each day’s prayers end with a Bible verse to seal God’s truth in their hearts.

City of Lions: A Study of Daniel for Teen Girls

Great for individual or group study, deep diving into one book of the Bible is a great way to understand who God is and what he’s about. This study of Daniel for teen girls helps them see that Daniel faced many of the same challenges they face daily. In the pressure to conform to the culture around them, Daniel was bold and courageous, remaining faithful to God through it all.

Not Consumed (variety of resources)

I recently discovered the Not Consumed brand of resources when I bought a discounted downloadable Advent devotion to go through with my family. It was surprisingly user-friendly: straightforward and approachable, yet also thought-provoking and challenging. After trying it out for a day, my kids chose to continue with that devotion over the other ones I offered.

Looking through their website, I couldn’t pick just one. There are resources for kids, teens, and families on different topics and stages of faith development. Browse their physical copies and digital downloads and find a gem for each of your kids’ Easter baskets. You can even have your local office store print and spiral bind any of Not Consumed’s digital downloads.

Whatever resources you decide on for your kids’ Easter baskets, I pray they will aid in deepening your and your kids’ faith and facilitate faith formation into the summer and throughout the year.

Blessings on your journey!

POSTED BY

Jenna

Jenna Kruse is a teacher but not in a classroom. She loves to think outside the box and inside the Word and is daily in need of an attitude adjustment. She is a wife to Justin, a mother to three children ages 10, 8 and 5 and a mentor to teenagers and young adults. You can learn more about the heart behind her blog HERE.

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