THE EASTER SURPRISE

A rabbit named Fern solves a mystery
as she follows clues in the shape of decorated eggs painted with the faces of
her farm-animal friends.

A dramatic cover photograph of a
huge rabbit in a basket of intricately decorated Easter eggs draws readers into
this story, the fifth in the Sweet Pea & Friends series. The story is
illustrated with photographs of the animals that live on the author-photographer
team’s farm in Vermont, with a large cast of characters who have appeared in
previous books in the series. The production values of these digitally composed
photographic illustrations are outstanding, with an oversized format,
high-quality paper, and brilliant colors that showcase the beautifully painted
eggs hidden throughout. Many of the eggs are painted in Ukrainian folk-art
style, with one large egg on each spread decorated with an animal character’s
face, predicting the appearance of that animal on the next spread. The actual story
is a little too wordy for the intended audience, with a rather confusing total
of 17 named characters to keep straight as the simple mystery of who planted
the eggs unfolds. The solution to the mystery of the face-bedecked eggs is, of
course, revealed with the appearance of the Easter Bunny, who has been glimpsed
throughout the previous illustrations. A concluding note provides more
information about the farm animals and the artist who painted the eggs.

The magical quality of the
photographic illustrations and the enchanting eggs give this Easter-themed
story extra appeal. (Picture book. 3-7)