Reg Down has done it again! We have read several of his Tiptoes Lightly books, and my 6 ½ year old declared it her favorite so far. The book has familiar characters (Tiptoes, Pinecone and Pepperpot the gnomes, Farmer John, Tom Nutcracker, June Berry and Ompliant). It also introduces a few new characters, including angels. The angels and the bird that hatches were introduced gently and naturally, not in a heavy-handed doctrinal way. Even if you haven't read any Tiptoes books, you could start with this one for the Easter season. It would make a great Easter basket gift, too. The book follows the short chapter, line drawing style of the other Tiptoes books. But the storyline in this book--a large, growing egg appears and hatches on Easter-- is continuous, meaning that the plot follows along building in each chapter, which is different from the initial two Tiptoes books which have a series of adventures. Another difference is that the author has presented two alternate endings that appear in separate chapters. The author handled this well by noting in italics at the beginning of these chapters the intended audience - younger (under 6) or older children. These chapters also have a story-within-the chapter approach, where the author has noted by asterisk where you could read an Easter story without the rest of the chapter (or even the book). My description of the author's efforts makes it sound more complicated than it is; when you are reading the author's notes are easily followed. I appreciated this ability to customize as this book will remain on our shelves, and my 4 year old has not yet heard the tale. I look forward to reading it again next year, or, since my daughter loves it so much, next week!
