Thanksgiving Day

I liked this book for two reasons. First, I loved the author’s writing. The author begins the story by asking the reader multiple questions; the first one being, “Do you know why we celebrate Thanksgiving?” This question inclines the young reader to consider a challenging question before continuing to read on. The questions provided get the reader thinking and engaged in the story. The second reason I liked this book is because of the illustrations, which were simply enjoyable to the eye. I loved how the illustrator created pictures of children of several different ethnicities. Also, the expressions on the faces of everyone presented in the story are all positive and happy, but still different from one another. For example, on one show more page the teacher is shown presenting a book about the first Thanksgiving to the class. One child is drawn leaning in with wide eyes and raised eye brows to accompany his smile, and another child is shown leaning back with her eyes squinted and a beaming smile. Both children appear to be excited about the story the teacher is presenting, but show different expressions to display their excitement. Finally, I liked that this story took place in a classroom. The narrator is a student who is describing what he learned about Thanksgiving while in school. I like the author’s choice in making the narrator a student because when children read the story, it will be easy for them to imagine themselves being in the narrator’s shoes. The big idea of this book is to teach about the history of Thanksgiving and the importance of the values that are celebrated during Thanksgiving. show less

This picture storybook has a readability level of PreK-2, according to Scholastic. This story explains why we celebrate Thanksgiving as a holiday. The story is rooted in some truth as it explains that the Pilgrims came from England on ships, one called the Mayflower. It also tells how they landed at Plymouth Rock where the Native Americans showed them what was safe to eat, how to hunt, and how to grow crops. However, the story fails to mention the harm that the Pilgrims brought to the Natives by forcing them out of their land, mass murder, and forced acculturation. If I were to use this book, I would use it to mention important aspects of the first Thanksgiving, but I would address the missing pieces in the book as well. Native show more Americans were historically treated poorly, so it is important to address those social injustices. I could even have students brain storm ideas of things the Pilgrims and Natives could have done to get along peacefully on the land. show less

This would be a good toddler/preschool storytime title for Thanksgiving. It's got very simple text - good for the beginning reader, too - in short declarative sentences. It describes the standard first Thanksgiving story from the perspective of kids putting on a school play. The illustrations are bright and cheerful. It's a good, general, Thanksgiving title.

This is an amazing book that is about a class that is putting on a thanksgiving play! On each page there is an explanation of a part that is being portrayed and how it relates back to history and why that particular part is important to include in the classroom play! This book is fun and inviting for children to read and for teachers/parents to read to their students/children. This is a story that not only explains the meaning of Thanksgiving and why Americans celebrate this important holiday but it gives insight back to the history of the holiday and why it is so important to the American culture.

Thanksgiving Day by Rockwell
Always enjoyed holidays books. This audio children's book is about the festivities of the holiday.
Discrepancy of where the holiday was first celebrated: Jamestown or Phymouth. Story tells of the Indians who welcomed the Pilgrims when they arrived at Plymouth Rock.
Talk of the foods for the first celebration. Indians taught them how to hunt and grow the local crops.
I received this book from National Library Service for my BARD (Braille Audio Reading Device).

A classroom of children decide to put on a school play after reading a book about the first Thanksgiving. One child acts as the Mayflower, a few others are Pilgrims and Wampanoag Indians. They describe the voyage to America and Pilgrims share that they are thankful for their beautiful new land while the Native Americans are thankful for their new neighbors. This is a simple, easy to explain text about the traditions and history of the holiday.

Gr PreK – 2—Charlie explains to his parents how his class put on a play that helped them learn about Thanksgiving. Each student takes on a role and explains why he or she is thankful. Each double page has a pair of illustrations, one of the student in costume and the other of the scene the student describes. The text is simple and the pictures bright and cheerful.