Review and Give Away: HOP Film / Easter books!

Update: this give away is now closed.  The winner has been notified by email.

On April 1 (this Friday!), the aptly-timed "HOPS" will hit theaters --

Blending state of the art animation with live action, Hop is a comedy about E.B. (voiced by Russell Brand), the teenage son of the Easter Bunny.  On the eve of taking over the family business, E.B. leaves for Hollywood in pursuit of his dream of becoming a drummer.  He encounters Fred (James Marsden), an out-of-work slacker with his own lofty goals, who accidentally hits E.B. with his car.  Feigning injury, E.B. manipulates Fred into providing him shelter, and Fred finds himself with the world’s worst houseguest.

You can see the HOP movie trailer here.

HOP has some great tie-in books that would make perfect Easter basket stuffers (I hope you'll be slipping some books into your kids Easter baskets this year!)  Here is a quick peek at all 5 of them (publisher descriptions in italics; our thoughts in normal type).  I have them arranged roughly from youngest to oldest audience.




HOP: Counting Chicks
Board Book
• 12 Pages
Easter chicks Carlos and Phil teach numbers as they put together an Easter basket just for you!

Cute - simple counting on the right, and a storyline about the two chicks charged with filling an Easter basket on the left.  "I'm Carlos, and this is Phil.  The Easter Bunny has given us a job to do!  Grab a basket, Phil, and let us get started."  I hope the Bibliophile doesn't catch on to how candy-centric these baskets are.  I think this one will go in our baby girl's basket.

HOP: Hoppy Bunnies
Board Book with Finger Puppets
• 12 Pages
This adorable and interactive Easter board book features hoppy bunny finger-puppets for read aloud Easter fun.

Set to the rhythm of the Night Before Christmas, this board book instead explains the Easter Bunny's delivery of baskets in a giant Easter egg-shaped sleigh.  I think I better put this one in the Bibliophile's basket, because he'll instantly recognize the built in felt finger puppets like in Sleepy Kittens and covet it if it goes in his sister's basket.  She would love to get her mouth on those puppets.  (She's 4 1/2 months old).


HOP: Meet the Easter Bunny 
• 32 Pages
Easter Island is home to the Easter Bunny’s magical workshop—where do you think Santa got all his good ideas? Chocolate bunny carving, jellybean polishing, and adorable chicks and bunnies are just a few of the fantastic sights to see on this lively tour of Easter in the making.

This one is sort of an early reader style.  The Easter Bunny shows his rock and roll loving son, E.B. around the family business (the candy factory under Easter Island, where Easter candy is made).  A fun addition is a page at the beginning of the book asking the reader to look for four items as they read the book.  This one will also be in the Bibliophile's basket this year.




 HOP: Chicks vs. Bunnies
• 24 Pages
The Easter Bunny gets all the glory, but what about all the chicks who do all the work making Easter baskets? This is a bright, colorful and humorous look at Easter’s cute and rivaling icons includes punch-out Easter egg stands featuring characters from the movie!

This one has more of a good versus evil theme, and I don't think the Bibliophile would really understand what is going on (he is only 3 1/2).  But for older kids or those exposed to more of this type of storyline, it is a fun (and funny) story.  "'We're going to have to take matters into our own hands'," Carlos tells his friend Phil.  Phil lifts a wing into the air.  'We don't have hands,' he says."


HOP: The Chapter Book
• 64 Pages
Who will fill the Easter Bunny’s shoes? E.B. Jr.’s got big plans to be a big music star, and Fred, who never had plans to be anything, finds himself with more responsibility than he is used to in this chapter book.

I need to stop taking chapter books for review; I haven't had a chance to read this one all the way through.  I can see immediately that this is over the Bibliophile's age/interest level, but for an older child, this builds upon the books above in a chapter book format and is a great tie-in to the movie. 

Give-Away

Thanks to Little, Brown Books for Young Readers,  One (1) winner will receive a prize pack including all 5 book titles! 

• HOP: Hoppy Bunnies
• HOP: The Chapter Book
• HOP: Meet the Easter Bunny
• HOP: Counting Chicks
• HOP: Chicks versus Bunnies

 To enter:
1) Leave a comment here.
2) Follow or subscribe in some way to Chronicle of an Infant Bibliophile and leave a comment letting me know.
3) Tweet, facebook, or blog about this give away and leave a comment letting me know.

That's three possible entries per person. The deadline is April 8, 2011, midnight EST. Prizes ship to U.S. addresses only.  Please remember to leave your email address in your comment if it is not accessible from your profile.

Looking for other book recommendations for your Easter basket? Last year I collected suggestions and published a list of 75 Easter-related books for children.


Disclosure: We were provided free copies of all 5 books to write this review.  If you click on any of the links in this post and purchase anything, we may earn a small commission through our affiliate relationship with Amazon.com.