Celebrate Thanksgiving
Merely thinking about Thanksgiving conjures up a variety of images and feelings for people all around the world. Many diverse cultures celebrate in some sort of ritual or feast to "give thanks" for the harvest or other facets of life. In the United States Thanksgiving is celebrated on the fourth Thursday in November. This is due, mostly, to the efforts of "Sarah Josepha Hale, a magazine editor, whose efforts eventually led to what we recognize as Thanksgiving. Hale wrote many editorials championing her cause in her Boston Ladies' Magazine, and later, in Godey's Lady's Book. Finally, after a 40-year campaign of writing editorials and letters to governors and presidents, Hale's obsession became a reality when, in 1863, President Lincoln proclaimed the last Thursday in November as a national day of Thanksgiving (http://www.thanksgivingworld.com/thanksgiving-history.html).
Since Lincoln declared a national day of Thanksgiving, many traditions have developed centered around a festive meal shared by family and friends, usually featuring turkey and "all the trimmings" (http://www.epicurious.com/articlesguides/holidays/thanksgiving/thanksgiving). Other traditions include the annual Macy's Thanksgiving Day parade (http://www.thanksgivingworld.com/thanksgiving-parade.html), football games (http://www.profootballhof.com/history/decades/1930s/first_thanksgiving.jsp), and the charitable efforts of many to spread the pleasure of the day to those less fortunate (http://www.mahalo.com/Thanksgiving_Charity).
No matter how you choose to spend the day, you will find something of interest in the following selections to whet your appetite for food, family, friends, fun, and fulfillment.
Reviews
Celebrate Thanksgiving
Deborah Heiligman
As part of the "Holidays Around the World" series by National Geographic, the author Deborah Heiligman, along with her consultant Dr. Elizabeth Peck, presents the reader with a historic background of the famous holiday and how harvest celebrations are practiced by many people of many different religious and cultural backgrounds throughout the world. This is a great text for studying Native American culture, the survival of the pilgrims, and why the holiday known today as Thanksgiving is considered to be one of the busiest for traveling in America. Beautifully presented with rich and lively photographs, this book brings to life traditional harvest celebrations by families all over the globe. From the very first Thanksgiving feast held in 1621, to the modern-day Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade, the author successfully demonstrates that being with family, sharing the bounty, giving thanks, and counting blessings all serve to be a common theme no matter where you celebrate a bountiful harvest around the world. 2008, National Geographic Society, $6.95, Ages 4 to 8. Reviewer: Melissa Stickles (Children's Literature).
ISBN: 0-7922-5828-9
ISBN: 0-7922-5929-7
ISBN: 978-0-7922-5928-2
ISBN: 978-0-7922-5929-9
ISBN: 978-1-4263-0292-3
One Is a Feast for Mouse: A Thanksgiving Tale
Judy Cox
Illustrated by Jeffrey Ebbeler
After the Thanksgiving feast, when everyone--including the cat--is napping, the little mouse comes out of his home in the clock and discovers the leftovers are still on the table. He spies "a teensy-tiny, toothsome, green pea all by itself" and decides "one will be a feast for me." As with so many of us at Thanksgiving time, his eyes are bigger than his stomach. He takes a little of this and a little of that, declaring each time, "one is a feast for me," until he is balancing turkey, a piece of pie, gravy and mashed potatoes, a carrot stick stuck in an olive, and a cranberry on top of the pea. As he is ready to leave the table, who should appear but the cat? Balancing the food is no longer the little mouse's top priority. A chase ensues with the mouse scurrying for home as the cat is chased by a broom-wielding Mom. Excitement builds with the addition of each food item and then jumps to the next level with the appearance of the cat. The roundness of Ebbeler's illustrations, as well as their muted fall tones, gives them a warm and inviting look. When the chase scene begins, Cox broadens the vocabulary with interesting-sounding words, such as "catter-whumpus," that let the young listener know that chaos is being created here. Everyone will be cheering for the exuberant little mouse with the large glasses. Original and fun to read aloud, this is a marvelous blend of text and illustration--just what a good picture book should be. You will want to add this to your Thanksgiving book collection. 2008, Holiday House, $16.95, Ages 4 to 8. Reviewer: Sharon Salluzzo (Children's Literature).
When the house is quiet after Thanksgiving dinner, Mouse surveys the leftovers on the table. He spots a "toothsome" green pea and decides it will be "a feast for me." He rolls it along to take back to his hidey-hole. But then he spots cranberries, "glowing like rubies," and balances one on the pea. Then he can't resist a black, shiny olive, or a crunchy carrot stick, or the plate of mashed potatoes, or the gravy, or the pumpkin pie, or even the turkey. Carefully balancing it all, he doesn't see the cat approach and claw the tablecloth. The resulting crash sends Mouse scampering to his hidey-hole. The cat is blamed for the mess and sent outside. And the frightened Mouse is happy to rescue "one teensy-tiny, round and toothsome, green and luscious pea... a feast for me!" The cumulative text offers Ebbeler a challenge, to produce a visual narrative focusing on appealing, bespectacled Mouse's skillful juggling. Acrylic paint, pastels, and colored pencils are used to depict the array of naturalistic details for the story while supplying comic emotional content. We get close-ups of the tabletop action, including a startling face-to face encounter with the cat. A sleeping, cartoon-y Dad adds a touch more humor. 2008, Holiday House, $16.95, Ages 4 to 8. Reviewers: Ken Marantz and Sylvia Marantz (Children's Literature).
ISBN: 978-0-8234-1977-7
ISBN: 0-8234-1977-0
Over the River: A Turkey's Tale
Derek Anderson
Based on the song by Lydia Maria Child
You may think that you recognize this popular song, but you will be happily surprised by Anderson's vision of the lyrics. We see the turkey family trotting along to Grandmother's house. The illustrations are colorful, cartoonish images that tell about the characters and the upcoming action. We see Mama Turkey as she scolds Son Turkey for jumping into the river instead of crossing over on the stepping stones, and we see a hunter and his dog in a space through the trees. The reader is treated to information through the illustrations that has a greater impact than the straightforward text would imply. The "horse knows the way to carry the sleigh" is the line on the page where we see a horse carrying a sled—a sled that will play an important part in the whirlwind denouement. Fitting in as an aside, we see the hunter instructing his dog in the process of obtaining a turkey dinner--on the same page we glimpse the Turkey family still trooping along. As the hunter and his dog spot them the chase is on! After trying to disguise themselves as a scarecrow (a good try but Papa hears the dinner bell ringing), the plucky fowl family head off at a dead run for Grampa and Grandmother's house. Three things happen all at once: Grandmother comes out of the house to show off her special pie, the frightened Turkey family arrives in a rush chased by the hunter's dog, and the horse on his sled comes flying headlong down the hill. The resulting collision results in Grandmother taming the dog with a tongue-lashing for ruining her pie, the hunter wanders away, hunting for his missing dog, and everyone else ends up having dinner with Grandmother and Grampa. A rollicking look at a non-traditional Thanksgiving--well, actually the love of family and sharing of food is very traditional--this board book will be a pleasure to share before and after the feast. 2007 (orig.2005), Little Simon/Simon & Schuster, $7.99. Ages 3 to 6. Reviewer: Sheilah Egan (Children's Literature).
ISBN: 978-1-4169-3803-3
ISBN: 1-4169-3803-6
People in Fall
Martha E. H. Rustad
One of six in the "All About Fall" series, this colorful book utilizes large photos, minimal text, and repetition of words and phrases to support emergent readers. The text discusses some of the changes that fall brings such as shorter days, cooler temperatures, special holidays (Halloween and Thanksgiving), the beginning of school for many children, and preparations by animals and people for the upcoming cold of winter. Time to get out the sweaters and jackets and enjoy the outdoors before it gets too cold. All these concepts support the National Science Foundation standards for early elementary school earth and life science studies. A glossary, an index, word count, and sources for further study plus safe Internet sites are included. 2008, Capstone Press/Coughlan Publishing Co., $19.93. Ages 5 to 7. Reviewer: Meredith Kiger, Ph.D. (Children's Literature).
ISBN: 978-1-4296-0025-5
ISBN: 1-4296-0025-X
Thanks for Thanksgiving
Julie Markes
Illustrated by Doris Barrette
This charming picture book gives thanks for the many things found in a young child's life. We watch as the adorably illustrated children participate in many autumn and early winter activities such as playing on windy days, apple picking and sledding. The rhyming list of everyday and holiday activities will remind readers, children and parents alike, to give thanks. The rhythmic repeat on each page of the line "thank you for" will make for a pleasant read-aloud experience. The rhymes will entice young listeners to anticipate and guess the next thankful thing. The illustrations are golden and warm, just right for autumn. The illustrator contrasted nicely the cold, rainy and snowy days outside with the cozy indoor family settings. Early readers will have an easy time with the simple sentence structure and the repetition of some basic sight words. Teachers will find that this book will make a great addition to their holiday shelves and would do well as part of a theme on giving thanks. 2004, HarperCollins Publishers, $6.99, Ages 3 to 7. Reviewer: Ann Farina (Children's Literature).
ISBN: 978-0-06-051098-5
ISBN: 978-0-06-051096-1
Thanksgiving
Trudi Strain Trueit
Thanksgiving is a good time for giving thanks for all that we have. It is also a good time for eating together as a family and visiting with relatives. The Pilgrims were thankful after their good harvest, and they celebrated with the Native Americans who had helped them with their crops. Not only these two groups but people through the years have stopped to give thanks for their good crops. Readers of this book will learn about all of these traditions. The language is simple, and the pictures are colorful. Beginning readers will appreciate the simple text and easiness to learn about this fall holiday. They will also enjoy the vocabulary words and index to the end of the book. It will make a good choice for a holiday book collection of any library. (Rookie Read-About Holidays). Nonfiction. Grades K-3. 2006, Children's Press, 31p., $20.50. Ages 5 to 9. Reviewer: Leta Tillman (The Lorgnette-Heart of Texas Reviews (Vol. 19, No. 3)).
ISBN: 0-531-11841-X
ISBN: 0-531-12460-6
ISBN: 978-0-531-12460-4
ISBN: 978-0-531-11841-2
The Thanksgiving Bowl
Virginia Kroll
Illustrated by Philomena O'Neill
This is a heartwarming story about one family's Thanksgiving tradition. Every Thanksgiving, the family looks forward to Grandma's "Thanksgiving bowl." The yellow plastic bowl is filled with family members' notes about what they are thankful for this year. After everyone enjoys the Thanksgiving meal outside, Grandma reads each "I am Thankful For" note in the bowl and everyone tries to guess who wrote it. This year, the bowl is left outside. Over the course of the following year, a series of different people each find the bowl at the perfect moment. Each month, someone is grateful for the bowl. It is the perfect shelter for a mouse in December and the perfect hat for a snowman during a gusty snow day. It becomes a wonderful pot for a plant project in April and an ideal mold for sandcastles on a hot day in August. Every month, the bowl somehow gets passed along to a new user but eventually a mother raccoon and her playful kits leave it in a pile of leaves by Grandma's picnic table. Fortunately, on Thanksgiving Day, the bowl is found. Everyone is thankful for the family tradition to be enjoyed again. Kroll does a nice job of connecting the traveling bowl to the changing seasons. O'Neill's paintings depict a kind, rosy-cheeked grandmother and a happy family eating slices of pumpkin pie while the adults enjoy steaming mugs of coffee. The dynamic pictures give readers a lot to look at. 2007, Pelican Publishing Company, $15.95. Ages 5 to 8. Reviewer: Julie Minnich (Children's Literature).
ISBN: 978-1-5898-0365-7
Thanksgiving: The True Story
Penny Colman
Very rarely do we find books written about a holiday for readers too old for picture books, yet not quite ready for imposing tomes. This work is a welcome exception, and one that could easily find its way into a school curriculum. Colman has studied the Thanksgiving holiday, trying to present the true reason for the occasion. The Thanksgiving we celebrate today on the fourth Thursday in November has only been a national observance since 1941. Prior to that, it was celebrated on other dates, and at the discretion of the President of the United States or state governor. Other events, such as a thanksgiving celebration in the Texas panhandle in 1541, a celebration for French settlers in Florida in 1564, and a feast with settlers and Abenaki Indians in Maine in 1607, all have a place documenting a separate day of thanks. The traditional Thanksgiving we know began as a glimmer of hope for a magazine editor wishing the entire nation would stop and enjoy a day of reflection and thankfulness. Sarah Josepha Hale is primarily responsible for the holiday and its inclusion in American history, though it was not an easy effort. Her story is told here and is well documented. What about the pilgrim and Indian version of the story? Is that true? It could be, though it is probably not likely. Colman has done her research and presented how schools have perpetuated this story and many believe it as truth. A good classroom discussion is likely after reading this book, reflecting on the students' beliefs, traditions, what they like most — or least — about the holiday, their perceptions of how it originated, as this book lends itself to follow-up sessions. Colman's writing style is much different than textbooks and other works of non-fiction. Her narrative style is reminiscent of a college master's thesis and, at times, defeats the authenticity of her message. Following the text are ample notes and a handy chronology of events leading to the modern Thanksgiving: shopping, football, and all. 2008, Christy Ottaviano Books/Henry Holt and Company, $18.95, Ages 9 to 12. Reviewer: Elizabeth Young (Children's Literature).
ISBN: 0-8050-8229-8
ISBN: 978-0-8050-8229-6
Turkey Bowl
Phil Bildner
Illustrations by C.F. Payne
Thanksgiving and football go together like turkey and stuffing and as long as Ethan can remember his whole family has assembled for the annual Turkey Bowl. The weather has never been too cold, too foggy, or too muddy for the aunts and uncles and cousins to join in the fun. This year Ethan and his buddies are old enough to get in the game and on Thanksgiving morning he bounds down the stairs in full football gear ready to move from the sidelines to the field. The kitchen is devoid of the usual Thanksgiving morning hubbub as his mother explains that an early snowstorm may keep the family from making the game and dinner. A dejected Ethan heads out to gather his friends but while they are sitting dejectedly on the bleachers, he is struck by a brilliant idea. The game will go on with Ethan and his friends and what a game it is--plowing through the snow, getting the first interception, diving for passes and lunging for tackles. But the best part is scoring the game-winning touchdown and the family arriving in time to see his stellar performance. Sport aficionado Bildner has created a likeable hero in Ethan and put him in a story that is full of energy and excitement. Care has gone into the design of the book with the selection of the text pages in various colors and designs that compliment to action in the illustrations. Payne's mixed media paintings have a photographic quality to them and his faces reflect a range of emotions from concern and resignation to determination and all-out euphoria. There is a nostalgic 40's look to the neighborhood and Ethan's uniform but it in no way detracts from the universality of the story. The cover with its textured look of a football is a nice touch. This is a pleasant diversion from typical Thanksgiving stories. 2008, Simon & Schuster, $15.99, Ages 6 to 9. Reviewer: Beverley Fahey (Children's Literature).
ISBN: 978-0-689-87896-1
ISBN: 0-689-87896-6
To read reviews of Thanksgiving books from previous years, click on the following links:
2007
2006
2005
2004
2003
2002
Updated 10/24/08
To stay up to date on new books on this topic, consider subscribing to The Children's Literature Comprehensive Database. For your free trial, click here.
If you're interested in reviewing children's and young adult books, then send a resume and writing sample to marilyn@childrenslit.com.