Teresa Johnston

This book is about a girl named Emily Ann and how she doesn't like Thanksgiving because there is no time for fun and everyone is busy. Emily Ann thinks she is being tricky by trying to take the food from the table, but her mom finds her and thinks she is trying to help out. This changes Emily Ann's mind about the holiday because she finally feels like she is apart of the family celebration.

I thought this was a fun holiday read for younger children. It is funny, includes a lot of rhymes, and show more can be relatable. The illustrations are cute and the story can help students connect with what it means to be thankful. show less

"Thanksgiving for Emily Ann" is a great reminder for young children (who sometimes forget) what they should be thankful for at Thanksgiving. Young Emily is reflecting on all the things that are bothering her about the day, but then her mom sends her into the dining room where she sees the beautiful placemats she had made for each relative. She then suddenly remembered all the family members coming together on that special day that she was thankful for. I highly recommend that you read this show more book to little ones right before Thanksgiving as a simple reminder of what Thanksgiving is about. show less

6. I enjoyed the book “Thanksgiving for Emily Ann” by Teresa Johnston. The book had characters and a plot that were very believable, as many children are able to relate to the events that took place during Emily’s Thanksgiving dinner with her family. The writing was engaging and suspenseful as the story progressed and the Thanksgiving dinner came near. The story is written in first person and describes Emily’s emotions as she works hard to help set up Thanksgiving dinner. For show more example, “There was food to be cooked and chores to be done. With everyone busy there was no time for fun.” The story could be helpful to children as it emphasizes the importance of working hard and helping those you love. Because all children might not celebrate Thanksgiving, this book could be used as an instructional aid to teach children in the classroom about the holiday. The main message of the story is that Thanksgiving is about helping, loving and being thankful for one’s family. show less

This book talks about how things change when people come into town. Emily starts feeling alone and no one has time for her so she chooses to not be thankful and instead be bad. Until she realized her mom set the table with the placemats she made. She began to feel like better by dinner time.