Book Review :: The Legend of the Sand Dollar: An Inspirational Story of Hope for Easter by Chris Auer, illustrated by Richard Cowdrey

The Legend of the Sand Dollar is another book in a long line of "The Legend of..." books by Zondervan/Zonderkidz. The Legend of the Sand Dollar is written by Chris Auer and illustrated by Richard Cowdrey. 

The Legend of the Sand Dollar is a hardcover book with a dust jacket, and is written with the 4-8 age group in mind. The illustrations in The Legend of the Sand Dollar are big, colorful, and beautiful to look at.

Like other "The Legend of..." books that I have read, The Legend of the Sand Dollar is a story within a story. This story follows a girl named Kerry who is headed to her Aunt Jane's house at the ocean. Kerry's cousin Jack greets her in his new little boat and they head off toward a little island in the bay. Kerry finds a sand dollar and Jack proceeds to tell her about how the sand dollar tells of the Easter story. 

I did find The Legend of the Sand Dollar to be a bit confusing in the description of the sand dollar. (I hadn't heard this association before, so that may be why.) An Easter lily, a Christmas flower, and a star are all referenced as images on the sand dollar...and the illustrations didn't make it clear what was an Easter lily or what was a Christmas flower or what side of the sand dollar was being shown. The story also references 5 holes in the sand dollar (4 from nails and 1 from a spear), but then the illustration on that page shows one sand dollar with 5 holes and another with 3 holes. 

I enjoy that the "The Legend of..." books give us new ways to look at things we may not have previously associated with what we read about in the Bible, and The Legend of the Sand Dollar continues that tradition.

FTC Declaration: The publisher has provided me with a complimentary copy of this book or advanced reading copy through their bloggers program. This does not change the fact that I will give my honest opinion in my reviews.