Getting everyone together at a holiday doesn’t always work out the way you think, but whoever shows up makes for a fun time.
My youngest granddaughter, four months old, can’t handle the car seat or a long drive these days, so she and Erik bowed out a week ago. My older granddaughter got a stomach bug at the last minute, so she and her mom stayed home the night before instead of staying over with us. In spite of my daughter-in-law’s unexpected sickroom duty, she sent along a beautiful fruit salad and muffins.
John and my oldest grandson spent the night at our house. My husband and I had dug up a few of our bunny storybooks. The one that my brother wore out 60 years ago — and that has a pop-up illustration with my replacement bunny head on it — was a hit. Funny Bunny, by Alice and Martin Provensen, is about a solution-oriented little guy who was called “funny” because he had no tail. After admiring everyone else’s tail, he agrees he is not quite complete and sets off for a distant cotton patch in a great hurry, not stopping to say good morning to any of his woodland friends. “Funny Bunny had a plan. And he was in a hurry to see if it would work.” Hoping to avoid spoilers, I’ll just say that Funny Bunny’s solution involves sticky pine pitch.
Another hit was Suzanne’s all-time favorite Easter book, The Country Bunny and the Little Gold Shoes, written by Dubose Heyward, with illustrations by Marjorie Flack. It’s quite a long story, and I was impressed that my grandson followed it all the way through. It is full of wisdom about what it takes to be a true star. (Super heroes, listen up!)
Suzanne and my younger grandson arrived with latkes and tulips for the egg-and-candy hunt and lunch. More gatherings are on the horizon, with both grandsons celebrating birthdays within the next few weeks. Whoever turns up, it will be fun.
Art: Albrecht Dürer
Borrowed from artyfactory
Suzanne's Mom's Blog 
It’s so nice that you’ve kept these older books–makes it fun for all the generations involved, because of the nostalgia!
They are still good books. Though I have to say, some older books come off a a little bizarre today–like the tiny Golden Book about a young goose who is given what looks like cigarettes as a treat, but it’s OK because they are chocolate cigarettes.
Keeping the family together can be really hard, especially on the holidays. Do you ever read these books to the little ones over Skype? It is amazing to watch the kids expressions over the phone.
I myself have not had to so far, but the family uses Skype a lot because of close relatives in Sweden. Reading a book is a great idea.