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This would be worth 4 stars if it were just another Lotta book by Lindgren & Wikland. But it's got bonuses! We learn about the Swedish tradition of Easter witches, and see, in the endpapers, all the neighborhood children dressed up in colorful long skirts & scarves. We feel the conflict of the candy-store owner as he realizes he can't make a living in Sweden and has to move back to Greece. We get better acquainted with Mrs. Berg, and the neighborhood, and Jonas & Maria, and Mom & Dad. Wikland used different media than usual, and succeeded in making the art even more lovely.

If I had children I would buy this book and read it to them every Easter. I strongly recommend you try to find a copy in your library system, even if you only read picture-books occasionally.

Btw, one of the things I like about the Lotta books is that they're very wholesome. Not saccharine, not preachy, but sweet, with good lessons about love & kindness & courage. Fit for those who homeschool and for Christians. ( )

Lotta Nyman, the strong-willed, fiery-tempered youngster whose other adventures can be found in such titles as The Children on Troublemaker Street and Lotta on Troublemaker Street, returns in this appealing holiday tale. Outraged when her older brother and sister inform her that their annual tradition of dressing up as Easter witches will have to be postponed until later in the day, because they must go to a birthday party, Lotta sulks and stamps. Eventually deciding that she must find something to do, she heads downtown, where she is aghast to discover that the local candy store has closed, and its expatriate keeper Vasilis is returning to his home in Greece. Where will the Easter Bunny get his candy?, Lotta wonders. Then Vasilis gives her his leftover chocolate Santas and marzipan pigs, and Lotta has an idea...

Originally published in Swedish as Visst är Lotta en glad unge, this holiday picture-book was every bit as engaging as the longer chapter-books devoted to Lotta's (mis)adventures, featuring the same realistic family dynamics, and the same narrative compassion for the young child's view of things. I appreciated the inclusion of Easter Witches in the story, as this is a folk custom about which I knew nothing, and I found Lotta's interaction with the adults outside of her family circle - neighbor Mrs. Berg, shopkeeper Vasilis - reassuringly goodhearted. I was particularly struck, while reading, by the innocence here, as I think that in today's more security conscious world parents might try to discourage their children from unsupervised interaction with other adults. But perhaps that is more of a contemporary American issue, than a Swedish one? In any case, although I understand why parents might feel this way, it seems such a shame, as I have fond memories of some of my own childhood friendships with adults in my neighborhood.

All in all, Lotta's Easter Surprise was a wonderful, warmhearted family story at the holidays, one I enjoyed reading. I think I will have to track down the story of Lotta's Christmas Surprise! Perhaps that will feature Easter Eggs... ( )