Review Detail

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.