The Easter bunnyroo by Susannah Chambers

Illus. by Laura Wood. Allen and Unwin, 2020. ISBN: 9781760635015.
(Age: 3+) Recommended. When Dad brings home a rescue animal to care for, our hero is convinced that the animal is not a joey but an Easter Bunny, because of its long ears, big feet, hopping nature and its convenient built in basket for carrying eggs in. He calls it EB, but his family calls it Ruby.
The narrator begins to teach Ruby the skills needed to be an Easter Bunny. Ruby must first and foremost be able to hide the eggs at Easter, so he shows her what to do, annoying his family when he hides the mobile phone and the car keys amongst other things. Grandpa, Ruby and the boy practise painting eggs from the market and then when all is ready he falls asleep, sleeping through the alarm ready to wake Ruby to hide the eggs. But coming down the next morning, he need not have worried, the eggs are all hidden waiting for the siblings to find them.
This is a cute take on the Easter egg hunt, practised by many families at Easter. The story outlines some of the customs undertaken by families at this time, reinforcing the festivity and its place within many world wide communities. Readers will eagerly see how the eggs are coloured, perhaps trying this for themselves, and find where the eggs have been hidden in the last pages, and inquisitive students may be able to find out how many in their class celebrate Easter in this way, and what the different customs are for their peers. Themes: Easter, Easter bunny, Kangaroo, Egg hunt, Easter eggs, Family.
Fran Knight