Cranberry Thanksgiving

Grandmother and Maggie live on the edge of a cranberry bog in New England in this delightful Thanksgiving classic, first published in 1971. The creator of the finest cranberry bread in the country, Grandmother guards her recipe zealously, intending to pass it down to Maggie one day. When Thanksgiving dinner arrives, the two invited guests - the lavender-smelling, gold-cane-walking Mr. Horace, and the scruffy, bearded sea captain Mr. Whiskers (real name: Uriah Peabody) - couldn't present more of a contrast. Grandmother prefers Mr. Horace to the smelly Mr. Whiskers, whom she had never trusted, but appearances aren't everything, as she soon learns...

I have read and enjoyed all three of Wende and Harry Devlin's picture-books about the Old show more Black Witch - Old Black Witch, Old Witch and the Polka-Dot Ribbon, and Old Witch Rescues Halloween - but although I have long been aware of their Cranberry series, I have never gotten around to picking any of them up. How glad I am that I now have, as I found Cranberry Thanksgiving absolutely charming, enjoying both the story and the artwork. The illustrations here have a vintage cartoon-like style reminiscent of many of the books I read as a young girl, in the early 1980s. Recommended to anyone who appreciates vintage picture-books, or who is looking for fun Thanksgiving stories for the picture-book set! show less

There are so many things I like about this book! The two main things I like about this book are the plot twist, and the illustrations. During the book the grandmother and Maggie both invite a lonely guest. Grandmother wasn't very pleased with Maggie's guest. Throughout the whole book you think it is Maggie's guest. Mr. Whisker's, who is going to steal the secret recipe. However grandmother's guest who smelled like lavender and had a gold cane was the one whole stole the recipe. It really was such a surprise. The other thing I really like about this book is the illustrations. Considering this is a historical fiction book, it does a great job at showing that it isn't from the 21st century. The clothes that the characters are wearing are show more very outdated. For example, the grandmother and maggie are in outdated, puffy dresses, and the men are in suits. One suit is blue and one is green plaid. Outfits you don't see people wearing these days. The overall message of this story is to not judge a book by its cover... or smell. show less

I liked this book for three years. The first reason being that the language was very descriptive. When the grandchild and friends were describing the grandmother's pie, I felt as if I was tasting it myself. The second reason I liked this book is because of the plot. It flowed very well and I like how the conflict was displayed. Finally, the illustrations in this book were great because they enhanced the story and went along very well with the amount of detail in the wording of the book. The big message in this story is that you can't trust someone just because of their looks and attitude towards you.

Every thanksgiving growing up I read this book and baked the bread, but this term reading this book took on a special meaning for me with the way of dissecting children's literature. I realized why I liked this book and wanted to re-read it, particularly it's way of teaching children about make-shift families and sticking together during the holidays. I feel this book is a written straight from the heart and you can feel the warmth from the lessons as well as the fact that it's still popular about thanksgiving. Thanksgiving is a very enjoyable holiday that is important for children to learn how to be thankful for what they have; this book works on the lesson of less is more and being proud of who you are, which all children should take show more to heart. show less

The Cranberry Series is one of my favorite children's books series. "Cranberry Thankgiving" begins with Maggie and her Grandmother preparing for Thanksgiving. Grandmother is known for her cranberry bread but refuses to give the recipe away. Instead, she hides it behind a brick in the fireplace. An annual tradition, both Maggie and her Grandmother invite one guest each to Thanksgiving dinner. While Grandmother invites a well established man named Mr. Horace, Maggie (to the displeasure of her Grandmother) invites her "unclean" friend Mr. Whiskers. Grandmother is not happy that Mr. Whiskers is coming because she believes that he is after her cranberry bread recipe. When both men arrive, Grandmother is quick to give Mr. Whiskers the cold show more shoulder. While cleaning up after dinner with her Grandmother, Maggie witnesses one of the guests stealing her grandmother's recipe. A fight errupts between Mr. Horace and Mr. Whiskers outside and Grandmother assumes that she was right - Mr. Whiskers was after her recipe. Maggie then tells her grandmother that it was not Mr. Whiskers who took the recipe, it was Mr. Horace who is a baker in the city. Astonished, Grandmother kicks out Mr. Horace. Greatful to Mr. Whiskers for stopping Mr. Horace, Grandmother warms up to his company and invites him to join Maggie and her for some pumpkin pie. After hearing Mr. Horace's wails from outside, the group agrees to let him in for the last piece of pie.

"Cranberry Thanksgiving" has incredible illustrations with plenty of character detail. The moral of the story is that not everyone is who they appear to be. The end of the story also teaches readers the importance of being kind to others. show less

Thanksgiving on the cranberry bog farm is Grandmother's favorite. Each year she encourages Maggie to invite someone to dinner who is lonely or poor. Grandmother herself has invited Mr. Horace, who uses a gold cane, smells of lavender, and is all alone. Maggie chooses to invite her friend, Mr. Whiskers. Grandmother is less than thrilled as she suspects that Mr. Whiskers is after her secret cranberry bread recipe. Nevertheless, Maggie is hopeful Grandmother will change her mind. When there is a scuffle in the dining room followed by both guests exiting quickly, it looks like Grandmother was right. Or was she? Things are not always as they appear, and Maggie knows the truth. Just when it looks like the recipe is gone for good, Grandmother show more is in for a surprise.

The Bottom Line: This book originally became popular in 1971, and now it's back. The illustrations in watercolor and ink have classic appeal. This delightful tale reminds readers what is truly important at Thanksgiving: family and friends.

For the complete review, please visit the Mini Book Bytes Book Review Blog. show less

The theme or message of this story is to not judge a book by its cover and that people aren’t always as they seem. I thought this book to be, personally, a dull and boring read. Although the pictures were nice and even the dialogue at times were fun such as when Mr. Whiskers said “Don’t trust a man because he smells of lavender and has a gold cane,” I thought the overall story to be unappealing. For one, a grandmother wanting to hide her recipe from those who want to steal it wasn’t an interesting or engaging plot in my opinion and feel young kids, especially young boys, may feel the same. Another reason why I didn’t enjoy the story besides the dull plot, was that when I was reading it, I didn’t feel any connection really show more to it being Thanksgiving. There were no other family members invited besides the two men, the young girl Maggie, and the grandmother. I also did not understand the saying “How about Sixteen Men on a Dead Man’s Chest?” that was repeated throughout the story which I thought may have had no relevance to the Thanksgiving holiday. The overall story and plot was just uninteresting, not much action, and did not keep me engaged throughout. show less