Grandfather Tomten and the Easter Surprise
by Nancy Foster
Author’s note: This is a little story I created for my grandchildren, one and three years old at the time, and it has become our traditional story before their Easter egg hunt each year. This can be done as a lap story or a table play. I used a simple knitted hand puppet for Grandfather Tomten, but it could easily be a standing doll with arms, instead.
All winter long, Grandfather Tomten had been asleep in his home beside a large rock in the meadow. He slept so soundly he did not notice when the warm sun melted the last snow of winter. He slept so soundly he did not notice when the flowers in the meadow wakened and smiled up at the sun.
A bumblebee came buzzing by. He stopped to gather some pollen from the flowers, and whispered to Grandfather Tomten, “Wake up Grandfather Tomten, spring is here, and the flowers are blooming.
But Grandfather Tomten did not hear him, and slept on.
A butterfly came fluttering by. She visited the flowers to sip their sweet nectar, and whispered to grandfather Tomten, “Wake up Grandfather Tomten, spring is here, the flowers are blooming, and the bees are buzzing.
But Grandfather Tomten did not hear her, and slept on.
A robin came flying by. He sang, “Cheer-up, cheer up, it’s time to build a nest!”and sang softly to Grandfather Tomten, spring is here, the flowers are blooming, the bees are buzzing, and the butterflies are fluttering.”
But Grandfather Tomten did not hear him and slept on.
At last a rabbit came hopping by. She stopped now and then to nibble the sweet clover in the meadow, and whispered to Grandfather Tomten, “Wake up Grandfather Tomten, spring is here, the flowers are blooming, the bees are buzzing, the butterflies are fluttering, the robins are singing. And I have hidden an Easter surprise for you.”
And Grandfather Tomten opened his eyes, stretched, and looked around – just in time to see the rabbit hopping away.
Grandfather Tomten said, “Spring is here, the flowers are blooming, the bees are buzzing, the butterflies are fluttering, the robins are singing and I think the Easter rabbit has hidden a surprise for me. Where could it be?”
And he began to look: under the stone… behind the bushes… under the yellow flowers… and there, just in a little hollow in the hillside, he found it: a beautiful coloured Easter egg! Grandfather Tomten tucked it into his basket, and home he went as pleased as could be.