Easter Stories: A Storyteller Book

By Bob Hartman

Following the tried and tested formula of his earlier Lion Storyteller titles, Bob Hartman retells a selection of Easter stories in his own inimitable style.

This collection of 23 stories includes the key Bible accounts of the events of the first Easter from Palm Sunday through to Jesus' resurrection, encounters with his friends and followers, and the ascension.

Bob Hartman's retellings of familiar and sometimes serious tales are fresh and engaging, making these Bible stories accessible to the young and not-so-young. Line illustrations complement the text.

As a bonus, this book includes some of Bob Hartman's favourite storytelling tips.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Lion Children's Bks
• Release date: Jan 18, 2019
• ISBN: 9780745978451

Bob Hartman

Bob Hartman is a professional storyteller and award-winning children’s author of over seventy books. He was born and raised in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, but now lives in Wiltshire. He has been entertaining audiences on both sides of the Atlantic for over 30years with his books and performances, which bring together retellings of Bible stories and traditional tales from around the world with his own imaginative stories. His books are full of humour and insight, whilst his storytelling sessions are exciting, engaging, dynamic – and above all, interactive! The Lion Storyteller Bible is used in schools across the United Kingdom as part of a Bible project called Open the Book, and is regularly performed for over 800,000 children in more than 3,000 primary schools. He is well known for his hugely popular The Lion Storyteller collection, the Telling the Bible series, and the highly acclaimed picture books: The Wolf Who Cried Boy, Dinner in the Lions’ Den and The Three Billy Goats’ Stuff.  

Book preview

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Text copyright © 2005 Bob Hartman

Illustrations copyright © 2005 Nadine Wickenden

Cover illustration copyright © 2008 Krisztina Kállai Nagy

This edition copyright © 2019 Lion Hudson IP Limited

The right of Bob Hartman to be identified as the author and of Nadine Wickenden to be identified as the illustrator of this work has been asserted by them in accordance with the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopy, recording, or any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publisher.

Published by

Lion Hudson Limited

Wilkinson House, Jordan Hill Business Park,

Banbury Road, Oxford OX2 8DR, England

www.lionhudson.com

ISBN 978 0 7459 7809 3

e-ISBN 978 0 7459 7845 1

First edition 2005

A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library

Contents

Introduction

1  Jesus Rides a Donkey Down the Hill

2  Jesus Knocks Down the Tables in the Temple

3  Grapes and Farmers and Religious Leaders

4  A Taxing Question

5  Camels, Bugs and Dirty Bowls

6  A Counting Problem

7  The False Friend

8  Bread, Meat and Stinky Feet

9  A Meal to Remember

10  Sleepy Peter

11  A Trial by Night

12  Panicking Peter

13  A Bad Deal

14  No Peace for Pilate

15  A King, a Crown and a Cross

16  The Crucifixion

17  Still No Peace for Pilate

18  A Glad Morning

19  Walking, Talking – and Shocking!

20  Not a Ghost Story

21  I Don’t Believe It!

22  Fishing Peter

23  Up the Hill and Higher Still!

Storytelling Tips

Introduction

I didn’t get it. I just didn’t get it. Every Easter it was the same. On Palm Sunday, we’d go to church and celebrate the fact that the crowds had clapped and cheered for Jesus and called him their king. Then only five days later, we’d be sitting in the same place, all solemn-faced, remembering how that same crowd had clamoured for his death.

What happened? What went wrong? Why did they want to kill Jesus? Those were the questions buzzing around in my head when I was a child, and those same questions prompted me to write this book. My hope is that these stories will help those who read or listen to them to find at least some of the answers.

In my many years as a storyteller, I’ve discovered that, without question, these are some of the most difficult Bible stories to tell, so in these retellings I have done what I can to bring out some of the lighter, happier and even funnier moments in Jesus’ final week. Some of the exchanges with the religious leaders, in particular, are full of humour (though they didn’t see it that way!) And, at the back of this book, I have suggested some simple participation activities to help your children enjoy them even more.

Having said that, there is no getting around the fact that, at heart, this is the story of a man on his way to an execution. And so I have also introduced some very simple themes and devices to help quieten things down as the stories move towards those serious and