Thank You, Sarah: The Woman Who Saved Thanksgiving

Author Laurie Halse Anderson, herself a descendant of Sarah Josepha Hale, whose story is set out in this work of picture-book history, opens her narrative by informing the reader that we, Americans, almost lost Thanksgiving. Increasingly a regional holiday, in the nineteenth century Thanksgiving was largely celebrated in New England, but had been abandoned elsewhere. But one woman, the eponymous Sarah Hale, wasn't happy with that, and launched a letter writing campaign to make Thanksgiving a national holiday. Over the course of thirty-eight years, Sarah used her pen to write thousands of letters - to multiple Presidents, to other politicians, to the general public - until eventually, in 1863, at the height of the American Civil War, show more President Lincoln finally made Thanksgiving a holiday for everyone...

I found Thank You, Sarah: The Woman Who Saved Thanksgiving both informative and entertaining, and imagine that the intended audience would as well. The role of Sarah Hale in preserving Thanksgiving, and making it into the national holiday we celebrate today, is not generally known, I do not think, so Anderson's book is most welcome. Most "histories" of the holiday that I have encountered focus on how it all got going - the ubiquitous Pilgrims and Indians story - but this is more about how the day came to be so widely celebrated. Anderson barely scratches the surface of the many things Hale did in her long life - raising five children, working as an author and editor, creating "Mary Had a Little Lamb" - but there is an extensive afterword that gives more information, and a significant list of sources and further reading ideas. The accompanying artwork by Matt Faulker wasn't really to my taste, although I did find that I preferred the more historical nineteenth-century scenes to the contemporary "mash-up" ones featuring turkeys, Pilgrims and Indians, and people watching television. All in all, an interesting book, one I would recommend to those looking for children's stories about Thanksgiving, or about the changes citizens can effect, simply through persistance and letter writing. show less

I've read this book to a few groups over the years and I have to say, it works pretty well. I like the the general tone of the book. The kids get it, and even if they don't care much about history or Thanksgiving they understand that what she did was pretty cool. The last time I read this, my audience was a group of fifth graders that had obviously had a long day already by the time I walked into the room, but even in their tired states, they were engaged and seemingly enthused. That's really all I can ask of a book like this. It's history, so it's already a tough sell for some students, but even they don't tune this out. They laugh. They ask questions. They react to the book. That's a book that's doing its job.

This book beautifully showcases Sarah Hale's determined, persistent effort to make Thanksgiving into a national holiday through a campaign of letter-writing to magazines, newspapers, and elected officials (including presidents!). But I wish it had more about the history of Thanksgiving before Sarah's time (1800s). There is a good amount of back matter, however, including information about thanksgivings and harvest festivals, football and parades, "Vintage America 1863," the Civil War and slavery, and a biography of Sarah Josepha Buell Hale. There is also a selected bibliography.

"Never underestimate dainty little ladies."
"Pick up your pen. Change the world."

The illustrations strive for a blend of historical accuracy and humor (letters show more carved over the State House say "GO AWAY We'RE BUSY"). show less

I love this book: snappy text, fantastic illustrations, and a spotlight on a forgotten American heroine who SAVED Thanksgiving? Yes, please.

I loved reading “Thank You, Sarah!” The text and language was great and it was a joy to read. This book tells the story of Sarah Hale who accomplished so many things for our nation during her life. The book starts out by addressing the reader’s assumptions about Thanksgiving and who actually started it and why it is celebrated. It then gives us a “NEWS FLASH” that we almost lost Thanksgiving! It wasn’t always a national holiday and more and more people were ignoring the holiday. Then Sarah took it into her own hands to write letters to establish it as a holiday, they call her a superhero. Sarah was a mom, an editor, a writer, a composer, and fought for the rights of many. She wrote hundreds of letters and articles and even show more wrote to 4 different presidents until finally she wrote to Abraham Lincoln and he said yes! So finally in 1863, Thanksgiving was made a national holiday. The illustrations complimented the text and made the book feel rich in imagery. I learned so much from this comical, uplifting, and inspiring book. show less

This is a picture book written by popular YA novelist, Laurie Halse Anderson. It tells the story of Sarah Hale, the woman who began a letter-writing campaign to make Thanksgiving a national holiday. The story expunges the previous myths associated with the holiday, including that it is celebrated in direct succession from the original holiday with the Pilgrims and Native Americans. The book has great pictures, which I found informative and humorous at once. As well, I appreciated the end of the book, which gave purely factual information about Thanksgiving. Some people may prefer their myths about the tradition to the reality, especially where children are concerned. However, I think that it is important for all people to think show more critically about the world around them, and this book is a good start to that habit. It is probably best for older children in the range, such as grades 5-6. show less

Imagine life without Thanksgiving in the USA: that is how Anderson opens up her story and introduces the historical figure, Sarah Hale. Sarah is a “superhero” who uses her secret weapon, a pen, to argue for Thanksgiving and its implementation as a national holiday. The cartoonish illustrations are well-done, and they use warm hues that are reminiscent of the warmth associated with Thanksgiving. Naturally, reading this story around Thanksgiving would be an excellent thematic unit.