This is a darling, meaningful Easter picture book that celebrates family history, Black American history, and Christianity. Along the way it also honors creativity and ingenuity and shows something most little boys don’t see: a fellow boy using a sewing machine.

In this story, a little boy, Elijah, wants to come up with the perfect Easter outfit to wear for Easter Sunday when he attends church. His church has a tradition of everyone wearing a fancy new outfit, with the pastor awarding a prize to the best one. Elijah searches and searches until he comes up with the best idea. It involves his family history and his faith. I love it! I also love the back matter, the pages at the end of the book after the story is over, where the author, Brentom Jackson, shares the inspiration and backstory of the book. Reading that can open up a discussion about slavery, segregation, the history of civil rights for Blacks, and more. In general, the book can spark discussion of family traditions, honoring ancestors, wearing new clothes for Easter, and what’s really important about Easter. I love the illustrations by Emmaneul Boateng. His soft luminous digital art makes the book glow like an Easter sunrise. It’s a lovely book, one I want to make a tradition of reading aloud every year to somebody, especially my grandchildren.

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