On the occasion of Easter, Christian people all over the world engage in merry
making and feasting in order to commemorate the return of ‘Christ’. Easter
brings along with itself a feeling of elation and hope and that is why, this
festival is considered to special amongst all the Christian festival. On this
occasion, people present various kinds of gifts to each other so as to express
their joy. Children are especially excited about Easter because they get
interesting gifts on the occasion, most of time an interesting bed time story
book. The basic reason to present story books to kids on this occasion is to
enhance the feeling of morality in them. One of the most popular Easter story
book is The Egg Tree.
The Egg Tree by Katherine Milhous is regarded a classic in the realm of Easter
literature. The book, which was written more than half a century ago, still
continues to charm young children with the tale of the Easter egg tree
tradition. The story narrates how a young girl Katy accidentally discovers her
grandmother's old hand-painted Easter eggs in the attic and restores the Easter
egg tree tradition. The storyline unfolds with siblings Katy and Carl arriving
at with their Grandmom's place to celebrate the Easter season. On the Easter
morning, the siblings went on the annual Easter egg hunt through Grandmom's
place. Katy was initially disheartened as she couldn't find any eggs, but when
she went up to the attic, she found a cache of beautifully hand-painted eggs.
This led to Grandmom teaching all the kids how to paint their own eggs and hang
them from the branches of a tiny tree to make an egg tree.
In the Egg Tree, author Katherine Milhous has made liberal use of the lively
colors and sweeping designs associated with Pennsylvania Dutch folk art and
tradition. In 1951, the American Library Association awarded Milhous the
Caldecott Medal for The Egg Tree. The popularity of the egg tree tradition in
America is often ascribed to the rising popularity of Milhous' The Egg Tree. If
you are looking for a nice gift for a kid aged 6-12, Egg Tree would certainly
prove to be a nice choice. Though the story is very popular and often been heard
by every one as a bed time story, the charming narration of the story keeps you
intact in the words of the story. So, even if you are not a child, reading this
book again would make you remember a lot, especially your momma, her bed time’s
stories and your Easter celebrations as a kid.
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