The Easter Lantern - A Warm and Fuzzy Tale for Our Times
Note: An audio version of this story is available below, followed by a 15-min activity to create egg lanterns at home. We think your child will like it even better if the story comes from your loving voice. Feel free to change names or details to suit your circumstances. Copyright April 2020 by Silke Rose West.
It was springtime on the farm. Lippety Lop, the Easter Bunny, did not feel very strong this year. Her little ones had to stay close to home.
“Why can’t we visit our friends the chicks?” said Jumper.
“Or the ducklings?” said Floppy.
“Or Grandma?” said Flippy.
“It’s because of the sickness, isn’t it?” said Soft Ears. She was the saddest of all.
“That’s right,” said Mama, “we will be safer here in our den.” She cuddled her little ones up to her, but Soft Ears pulled away and kicked a stone on the ground. “I don’t want to have Easter this year,” she said.
Papa Bunny was out looking for food and hoping to get at least a few eggs for Easter. When he came near the chicken yard, he heard a great lament. Papa Bunny was about to sneak under the fence, like he always did, when Henny came running up. “Bawwk! Stay back! Stay back!” she clucked, “Bawwk! Keep your distance!”
“What’s all the noise?” asked Papa Bunny through the fence.
“The rooster is gone,” said Henny, “Bawwk! There will be no chicks this year.”
Papa Bunny looked down at his empty basket. The chickens were crying a terrible sound, “bawwk-bawwk-boo-hoo, bawwk-bawwk-boo-hoo,” while one hen sat on the eggs hoping for a miracle.
Papa Bunny hopped to the back side of the coop and peered through a crack at the mother hen. "Do you have any eggs for Easter?" he asked. “We must deliver them, especially in times of sickness.” But she just pretended not to listen.
“Oh, you’ll – bawwk! - never convince Berta,” said one of the chickens inside. “You could have all the eggs you want, but – bawwk! - Berta won’t listen. She wanted to hatch chicks this year, but – bawwk! - the rooster disappeared a month ago. We’re worried a coyote got him.”
Papa Bunny hopped closer to Berta, peering through the cracks in the wooden coop. “Hi Berta,” he said gently, “I know the times are hard, but Easter is coming and I need your help.” Still, she pretended not to listen.
Fortunately, Papa Bunny was patient. "Berta, this year I was thinking - we will make lanterns out of the eggs! Many children are at home. They can't go out to play, and we want to bring them a special surprise. Did you know that your eggs have a whole universe inside?" Berta tilted her head slightly.
Pro Tip: Learn how to make lantern eggs at the end of this story. This is an example of a method we call the storytelling loop. By incorporating real activities and objects into your story, your child will be engaged in new and lasting ways. Try it!
“Your eggs,” said Papa Bunny, “will help give hope to all the mothers of the world and bring joy to the children. Every egg will make a big difference.”
“How big?" asked Berta.
"As big as the whole world!" said Papa Bunny.
"Bawwk! I wanted to have baby – bawwk! – chicks this year,” said Berta, and slowly moved away from the eggs. “But our rooster is gone, and I know that these eggs will not hatch."
“I am sorry,” said Papa Bunny. “Perhaps he was not eaten, but has gone on an adventure with coyote?” Papa Bunny pictured ol’ rooster standing on the back of coyote and laughed. “He might be back after Easter, and maybe you could have chicks then?”
“That's right!” said Berta, peering off into the distance, “He was an adventurous rooster. Perhaps he will come back.” She looked at Papa Bunny thoughtfully. “Take the eggs,” she said. “May they bring hope and joy to the mothers and children.”
“Thank you,” said Papa Bunny.
The other hens had gathered quietly in the coop, and when they heard Berta announce that the eggs would be shared for Easter they erupted in cheers, “Bawwk! Bawwk! Bawwk!” Quickly, they began passing the eggs from hen to hen and through the crack in the coop. Papa Bunny’s basket was soon filled to the brim.
Henny gave Berta an encouraging peck. “We are – bawwk! – with you, and you are – bawwk! – not alone.” Berta put her wing around Henny. She knew that the other hens would keep her warm at night, and she could dream about having baby chicks until one day when it would happen.
After saying goodbye, Papa Bunny brought the Easter eggs home. “Hurray!” shouted Soft Ears when she saw his heavy basket, “There will be an Easter!” The others came running.
Now, Lippety-Lop was a wise mama bunny, and she had been thinking. “This year,” she told the little rabbits, “we will make egg lanterns and put a special light into each egg.”
“How will we do that?” asked Floppy.
Papa Bunny smiled. “That’s just what I was thinking!” he shouted.
Flippy smiled too. Jumper did a jump.
“We will have to teach the people how to do it,” said Lippety-Lop. “We will have to deliver them in the night, and each egg will be like a wishing star for the children. Inside each one, they will see the whole universe and it will remind them that Easter is here.”
“Oh, you are so wise,” said Papa Bunny, and he gave Lippety-Lop a big hug.
On Easter morning, children all over the earth received the gift of the special egg lanterns, and the laughter of those children lit up the whole world.
Making Egg Lanterns
Supplies
Eggs – natural or plastic, but not hard-boiled
Desk Lamp
Cardboard Box
Dark Room – A closet or bathroom with no windows is best
Instructions – 15 Min
This project is forgiving. Perfection is not required.
The lamp needs to fit easily inside the box. A small desk lamp with no lamp shade works best. A lamp with a flexible-wire “neck” is ideal, but not necessary. Position the lamp so that the light shines upward.
Place the open end of the box face down and cover the lamp. Tape the folding flaps of the box together at the bottom, and cut a small hole for the lamp to get through.
Cut a small circle in the top of the box (a little smaller than an egg), so that light shines directly through.
Set up your lamp and box in the darkest room in your house. Take a selection of eggs and place them one at a time over the hole in the box. Each one is like discovering a new planet.
You can use any eggs you want, but raw or blown-out eggs will be the most spectacular. Painted or dyed eggs will be incredible, however hard-boiled eggs will not allow light to pass through. Plastic eggs will give off neat colors, but will lack the planetary-like variation you will see in a natural egg. Try putting different things inside the plastic eggs and see what they look like. You can even put different things inside – a paper clip, small toys, jelly beans, etc. – and play a game where your child has to guess what’s inside.
Try different things!
Warning: Do not leave the lamp on with the box unattended. It’s a fire danger. Just turn the light off when you’re done, or now and again to let the bulb cool down.
The Storytelling Loop is a newsletter bringing you tips, science, and real-life examples of how storytelling builds the connection between parent and child. It is a joint project of Silke Rose West and Joseph Sarosy, authors of How to Tell Stories to Children. Originally published in August of 2019, a new edition is due out from Houghton Mifflin Harcourt in 2021. You can find more from Joseph Sarosy at Fatherly. Are you interested in storytelling? Join Us.