Kirkus Reviews (starred review)
"Poetry is gentle yet thoughtful, alluding to the brutality of the execution while providing an almost prayer-like personal reflection. . . . A handsome, well-designed offering for middle readers and families."

Christian Library Journal
"Grimes and Frampton have produced an elegant banquet of poems and visuals about the Easter story. . . . Praises and hosannas for this title."

School Library Journal
"Bold, handsome woodcuts reinforce the powerful drama depicted in poetry. An outstanding effort worthy of inclusion in most collections. "

Booklist
"In this series of simple, straightforward poems preceded by explanatory paragraphs, Grimes retells the Easter story from Jesus' triumphant arrival at Jerusalem's Gate to the Crucifixion and Resurrection. Grimes' clever wordplay . . . will hold readers' attention, and her poems ask some important theological questions. . . . Frampton's woodcuts, which recall Byzantine artwork, especially in the wide-eyed, angular faces, are extraordinarily compelling. The bold colors and thoughtful, intricate patterning demand a second look. . . . An arresting rendition."

Publishers Weekly
"An extraordinary collection. . . . Frampton's elegant woodcut to illustrate the treatment of Christ shows a dove flying through curling barbed branches. These images in words and pictures will keep readers thinking about the book — and the Passion — long after the covers are closed."

Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books
"This handsomely presented collection should win a following among readers seeking deeply reverent materials for Holy Week."

Washington Post Book World
"A sequence of spare, hard-hitting, yet profoundly respectful poems reanimates the well-worn story of Christ's passion and resurrection. . . . The traditional, iconographic look of Frampton's woodcuts hides an unexpected visual wit."

Nikki Grimes is a New York Times bestselling author. Her previous works include At Jerusalem's Gate, When Daddy Prays (both Eerdmans), and Bronx Masquerade (Dial), which won the Coretta Scott King Award. Most recently, she won the 2017 Laura Ingalls Wilder Award for her lasting contributions to children's literature. Nikki lives in California. Visit her website at www.nikkigrimes.com.

David Frampton has been writing and illustrating books for young readers for thirty years. Some of his honored works include The Whole Night Through (HarperCollins), My Son John written by Jim Aylesworth (Henry Holt), and Rhyolite written by Diane Siebert (Clarion). David Frampton grew up in Brooklyn, New York and lives in Apex, North Carolina.