Roll Away the Stone

Neri is the little donkey who carried Jesus into Jerusalem on Palm Sunday, while the crowds shouted "Hosanna!" Now Jesus has died, the sky has gone dark, and Neri is frightened and sad.

His cheerful friend Johnny the camel reminds him that Jesus promised to rise again on the third day. So Neri prays for courage, walks up to the soldiers guarding the tomb and asks them to roll away the stone. They laugh at him. But very early on the third day, while Neri is hiding in the bushes, the ground begins to shake...

The story tells Easter gently. It is honest about the cross without frightening detail, and it follows Matthew 28 closely, including the angel and the empty tomb. It explains simply that Jesus took the punishment for the wrong things we do, so we can be friends with God again. When Neri is afraid, he prays, and children see what to do with their own fear. The book finishes with a "Roll Away the Stone" song to sing together.

For ages 4 to 8. Read it at bedtime or in Sunday school, or give it at Easter or a baptism.