Children relate to animals. They allow animals to think like themselves. In The Easter Donkey, by Donna Thornton, Drupelet, a little donkey is brought to church from a local farm to help in the retelling of the Palm Sunday story. The people are so happy and the bells are ringing. Though Drupelet has no idea what his is doing, he enjoys being part of the celebration.

He can observe the church from his little farm. Later that week, he notices everyone’s joy has turned solemn. Drupelet tries to think like a person. He worries that he has done something wrong. The other animals try to discourage him from thinking. They think people are odd creatures. Drupelet will not be discouraged. He has to find out what is going on.

The men construct a chicken wire structure on the lawn. Early Sunday morning people began bringing flowers to place in the structure. The sadness is gone and the people are singing again. Buster the cat, finally tells Drupelet what this is all about. Why hadn’t Buster told him sooner? “…to understand the meaning of Easter, you had to endure the sorrow…” was Buster’s reply.

The beautiful illustrations coupled with the simple way Mrs. Thornton presents the gospel bring the story to life for elementary age readers. The childlike thoughts of the donkey also make the book ideal for parents to read to young children just beginning to understand the true meaning of Easter.