The Littlest Pilgrim

Mini is the smallest child in the village populated by Pilgrims and while she wants so desperately to be useful, everyone tells her that she is too little to help. Eventually her dad tells her to go pick berries, and when she does, she comes across a Native American girl who is just as a little as she is. Even though the two cannot communicate with each other, an instant friendship is formed.

This book came highly recommended but I find it a bit odd. For instance, I find it unlikely that the Pilgrims - who did not share our understanding of childhood - would turn a helping hand away. Surely, some task would have been found for Mini. And indeed, one is found for her by her father, but Mini continues to wander around trying to help others show more before finally deciding she will pick those berries after all.

Second, the book gives absolutely no historical details on the setting or time (and, indeed, few details in general), so parents, teachers, and caregivers will have to make sure to explain all of that before embarking on this book. Furthermore, The Littlest Pilgrim is marketed as a Thanksgiving book, although there is absolutely no mention of the holiday whatsoever. Again, a lot of background will need to be provided by adults before children can put this story into any kind of context.

While the story ends on the happy note that Mini is too young for most chores but she isn't too little to make a friend, this friendship isn't explored at all. Obviously as an adult, the idea of a friendship in which the two parties cannot communicate effectively seems hardly like a friendship at all, but I will take it at face value in a children's book. Still, without any of the contextual information, I feel like the story of a young child too little to do anything but make a friend might have been better served in a contemporary setting. I'd only recommend this book with a TON of additional context (i.e., perhaps in a school setting when the class has been studying a Thanksgiving unit). show less

Mini was a Pilgrim, whom everyone thought was too little to do anything, but pick berries. One day, when she felt like there was no one who was or felt as little as she did, she was proven wrong. Mini met a Native American girl who was little just like her and then Mini knew that even though she was too little to help her family out with most of the chores she was not too little to make friends.

I thought this book was very cute! The illustrations were very beautiful and colorful and the story of how you're always the right size to make new friends was perfect the setting for Thanksgiving.

I would use this book when discussing Thanksgiving and Pilgrims. Also, I could use this when discussing relationships and friendships.

I am giving The Littlest Pilgrim three out of five stars. It was a nice and simple book. Mini is a pilgrim who just wants to help with the village chores. Everyone she tries to help tells her she is too small, and sends her to the next person to help. Eventually, Mini find a little Indian girl, and realizes she is not too little to do one thing; make a friend. This is a fairly easy trade book, that would be perfect for younger readers. This book seems like it tries to make the pilgrims and the Indians seem like they got along, when in reality it was that simple. I think this book is trying to sugarcoat the history of the United States for young children. Another way of reading this could be that when people are young, they do not see show more the outer differences of others; they just want to be friends with everyone. The illustrations in this book are full of fall colors, which is very fitting and gives the story a good vibe. I think a teacher could use this to introduce the history of Thanksgiving to students, but let them know that it was not exactly that simple. show less

The littlest Pilgrim is the smallest in the town and wants to be as helpful as she can be. She just happens to be too small to be of any help to her family. She ends up meeting someone that she could help by being her friend, the littlest Indian.

I thought this was a great book and a fun read! It shoes the alliance between the Pilgrims and the Indians during that time period and is wonderful for the lower grades.

An activity that I would do with this book is a small book report. The main focus of the report would be sequencing the events in the book.

The Littlest Pilgrim is about a small girl named Mini. Mini wants to help her family but they all say she is too little to help. The girl eventually ventures off and finds berries. She then finds a girl just as small as she who is a Native-American Indian and they become friends. I think this is a simple and adorable book about being grateful and making friends. Though everyone around her tells her she's too small, she figures out that she is not too small to make friends.

This is a very cute book! I love that this book could be used for thanksgiving but also for children or students to learn about making friends and that it only takes a small gesture to make that happen. The illustrations are very colorful and bright. Overall, this is a great book and can be used for many teachable moments.

The book by brandi Daugherty shows historical fiction in a Childs book through the use of culture and history behind the story of the pilgrims. The children would learn about thanksgiving and the history of thanksgiving.