Transparency disclosure: I read The Orc who Saved Easter with an Advance Reading Copy on March 30th. The review below is based on the paperback version.

Overview

Author: Michelle Franklin
Illustrator: Jonathan Burrello
Available on: Amazon
Read as: Paperback
Read for: Fun; reminders of what sunshine feels like; renewal and spring themes; Easter story; beautiful prose.
Best paired with: Spiced buns; chocolate; sweet milk tea. 
Cosy Scale: Kid friendly
Series: Darryn & Karla: Monster Friends; Book 5 
Features: Orcs, Rabbits, Villagers

Spoiler free review

Semi-spoilered review

If you’ve been following Darryn and Karla’s adventures, then you won’t be surprised when the villagers and a new band of Orcs turn to our protagonists for help in a hunt (though the back blurb implies it was the other way around…) The cover of the book hints at prey that likely won’t be easy to take down; the onomatopoeia are loud and yet pinpoint accurate, making it fun to read out loud with an all-ages audience.

My biggest question is on page 39: would the best way to recreate the sniffs be by exhaling or inhaling through one’s teeth?

But I’m getting ahead of myself. Before we even get to the hunt, we see the villagers preparing for the feast. Which begs the question: have you ever stopped to consider how half-Orcs prefer their bread? Michelle Franklin has. And through the small actions of making sure that the buns are baked to suit both Darryn and other villagers, we clearly see so many of the qualities – sweetness, forethought and empathy – that make Darla such a well-rounded, loveable character.

And it’s only one example of how the author breathes life into the characters: the exposition and dialogue make the character traits clear without being obvious.

The descriptive prose also tends to make this reviewer rather ravenous. The hunger situation is not helped when we finally met up with the Easter bunny and the latter gives up some eggs.

Ease of reading

It’s not an ‘easy’ read, in the sense that the Orc names use letter associations we’re not quite used to – if you want to speak Orcish, you really need to be at least half orc with a hint of a tusk. So while I think the story would be appreciated by the target demographic of 5 to 18 year olds, younger readers would benefit from having the story read to them out loud, at least a couple of times. The typeface is relatively big, so while it’s 54 pages long, it reads within a half hour – if you’re making an effort with the sounds, as you should.

Alternatively, if like me, you’re an adult who loves cosies and illustrated short stories, this is one of those books that you can deliciate in during a grey afternoon when you want a reminder of what spring and sunshine feel like. The vocabulary, though accessible for young readers, is elevated and varied.  

Illustrations

The story is illustrated by comic book artist and funny person extraordinaire, Jonathan Burello. He and Michelle have worked on a few series together (Darryn & Karla: Monster Friends and Loveable Monster Holiday Books). The results are fun and bright. Jonathan Burello brings the Orcs that feature the story to life, and his adorable renditions of the regular characters live rent free in my brain.

My favourite part?

This story contains my favourite description of Spring on page 9.