Wear a sweater.

And take a moment to watch a few Mr. Rogers clips or full episodes to remember what Fred Rogers brought to children's television. - Jeremiah

If you haven't ever caught It's the Easter Beagle, Charlie Brown! during its Easter holiday rounds, you should. It's not as soul-crushingly poignant as It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown! or A Charlie Brown Christmas, but for kids that can be a good thing, and it includes two of my favorite extended Charlie Brown cartoon gags ever, both featured in the clips below: Marcie's attempt to prepare eggs for decorating (she uses a waffle iron, among other methods) and Snoopy's well-intentioned attempt to improve Woodstock's living situation, ending with an envious and destructive thrust of his snout into Woodstock's outrageously outfitted bachelor pad.



Later, when Marcie follows Peppermint Patty's instructions to boil the eggs, she does so sans shells...



Good stuff! - Jeremiah

We're always on the lookout for great books to help our family celebrate holidays in a non-religious context. Here are some of the best books we've found for kids' ages 4-8 for the Spring Equinox / Easter holiday.

The Country Bunny and the Little Golden Shoes by Du Bose Hayward, illustrated by Marjorie Flack. First published in 1939, The Country Bunny is a fascinatingly feminist take on motherhood for its era. Author Hayward (the man who also wrote Porgy, which would be adapted into George Gershwin's musical Porgy and Bess) tells the story of a happy mother of many children who gives up her dreams of becoming one of the five appointed Easter Bunnies (yes, there are five, not one, didn't you know?) who are the swiftest, wisest, and bravest bunnies in the land - but then seizes the opportunity to show her stuff when selection time comes, and proves that her childrearing skills actually demonstrate her worth. She then takes on the challenges of helping the other four Easter Bunnies deliver eggs to all the children of the world. | Buy on Amazon

The Bunny Who Found Easter by Charlotte Zolotow, illustrated by Helen Craig. A little bunny hops through the seasons of the year in search of a place called Easter, because that's where a wise old owl told him he'd find other rabbits. In the end, the bunny learns that "Easter was not a place after all, but a time when everything lovely begins once again." Through the rabbit's journey, which spans the summer, winter, and spring, The Bunny Who Found Easter emphasizes the Easter holiday's position as a time to celebrate and a time of renewal of the earth and the seasons. | Buy on Amazon


The Spring Equinox: Celebrating the Greening of the Earth by Ellen Jackson, illustrated by Jan Davey Ellis. The Spring Equinox tells the history and traditions of spring equinox around the world in short stories. It tells of the Iranian celebration of No Ruz, the Russian Maslenita, Passover, and Easter. Good for slightly older children, maybe 5 or 6 and up. | Buy on Amazon

The Runaway Bunny by Margaret Wise Brown, illustrated by Clement Hurd. This may not be an Easter book, but it's one of my favorite children's books and you can't have too many bunnies for the holiday. In The Runaway Bunny, a little bunny wants to run away from his mother but mama lovingly thwarts every one of the little bunny's plans. Hurd's imaginative illustrations are beautifully painted and feature a hidden bunny-child and a mama coming searching. Z has enjoyed locating the hidden bunny in the pictures since we first found the book when she was two years old. | Buy on Amazon - Jennifer

It's like one of those old cartoons with two characters getting deliriously hungry in a lifeboat, except with Martha Stewart and... wriggling babies!



[Via Make] - Jeremiah