The Great Waking Up: The Story of Easter

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Author(s)

Sarah Shin

Co-Authors / Illustrators

Shin Maeng

Publisher

WaterBrook Children's

Genre(s)

Age Range

Release Date

January 13, 2026

ISBN

ISBN-13 978-0593580608

Buy This Book

Introduce children to the hope and promise found in the Resurrection with this one-of-a-kind picture book, which retells the story of Easter through the eyes of a young girl living at the same time as Jesus.

“This book is guaranteed to light up families’ homes and hearts with the hope, the truth, the beauty and the life that God promises.”—Sarah McConnell, Vineyard Churches UK & Ireland Kids Network Leader, and Kids Pastor at Catalyst Vineyard Church

Anastasia loves to dream.

Every morning, she shares the wonderful adventures from her dreams with her mother, Anika. And each night, Anika tells Anastasia about the dreams of their people to inspire new ones.

Her favorite is the dream of the Great Waking Up, the day when there will be no more death! And that dream feels close to coming true as Anastasia watches the Deliverer, Jesus, heal and awaken people from a deep, dark sleep. So when Jesus is crucified, Anastasia is left heartbroken. How can the Great Waking Up happen if He is not here?

But hope is not lost...because Anastasia will soon discover the tomb is empty and that Jesus is risen! The Great Waking Up has begun!

Join Anastasia on a journey of dreams and faith, where hope transcends despair, and the promise of eternal life brings joy to all.

Editor review

1 review

Introducing Easter to Children

February 22, 2026 (Updated: June 12, 2026)

Overall rating

3.5

Plot

3.0

Characters

4.0

Writing Style

3.0

Illustrations/Photos (if applicable)

4.0

Every morning, Anatasia wakes and shares her dreams with her mom, Anika. Then at night, Anika talks to Anastasia about the dreams of their people in the hopes that they inspire Anastia’s dreams at night. Anatasia’s favorite dream is to hear about the dream of the Great Waking up, when there will be no more death. For Anatasia, this seems to be coming closer as she watches the Deliverer, Jesus, heal and awaken others from a deep sleep. Anastasia is hurt and scared when Jesus is crucified, as she is worried that The Great Waking Up can’t take place if he isn’t around. That is, until Anastasia discovers that Jesus has risen, and that is the start of The Great Waking Up.

What I Liked: It’s fascinating to see that the book starts off with Anastasia dreaming about the stories that her mom was telling her about. This lays the foundation where Anika helps her believe that all is possible and introduces the most important dream of their people. Due to the dreaming, though, it can be confusing as to whether she was dreaming of this or if the two characters were living in the time of Jesus. This becomes clear with the note at the end of the story, but may confuse younger children.

This book closes with an explanation of the stories that Anika and Anastasia speak about, as well as sharing the scripture references that are included throughout this book. This piece is helpful for those who want to learn more and to see which scriptures were referenced and where in the book they were referenced. This portion of the book also allows you to see that this book managed to include various stories that lead up to the story of Easter.

The illustrations throughout the book do a good job of connecting the stories to scripture and bring those scenes to life. The illustrations are helpful to explain to young children what the text is referring to and open up a conversation regarding the scripture.

Final Verdict: The Great Waking Up is useful in introducing the story of Easter to young children ages 3 and up. Children ages 3 and up will enjoy the colorful illustrations that help pull the narrative along, and adults will like that they are able to introduce this story to their children.