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Best Thanksgiving Books

November 23, 2015
goodreadswithronna
Activity Book, Ages 3 and up, Ages 3-7, Ages 4-8, Ages 7-10, Ages 8-12, Children's Book Reviews, Education & Reference, Food, Food History, Holidays & Celebrations, Holidays & Festivals - Traditional Foods, Humorous Stories, Juvenile Fiction, Native American interest, People & Places - United States, Thanksgiving, Transportation

BEST THANKSGIVING BOOKS
A ROUNDUP

ThanksgivingBooks

Here’s a variety of our favorite Thanksgiving books this year, some that celebrate the food or beverages of the fall season and others that shed light on an aspect of Thanksgiving we may not have thought about recently. We hope you’ll take some time out of your busy holiday preparations to read with your child or share one of these books with them to read on their own. Wishing all of you a most joyous Thanksgiving 2015. Happy reading and eating!

Thanksgiving Parade with illustrations by Melanie Matthews,
(Price Stern Sloan; $5.99, Ages 3 and up):
In this cheerful, sturdy, 12 page rhyming board book, kids get a front row seat for the famed Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade, a decades old NYC tradition chockablock with fabulous floats and brilliantly colored and shaped balloons, so many stories high. Of course no parade would be complete without marching bands and a visit from old St. Nick. This die cut board book is sure to set the countdown to Christmas in motion.

Time for Cranberries Written by Lisl H. Detlefsen with illustrations by Jed Henry
(Roaring Brook Press; $17.99, Ages 3-7)
We’re treated to an insider’s look at growing and harvesting cranberries which, for fans of this fruit, is not just a Thanksgiving treat, but a year round treasure. Author Detlefsen “lives on a cranberry marsh in Wisconsin” and knows her stuff. She tells the story from a young boy’s point of view. He’s finally old enough to participate in harvesttime rather than watching from the wings and takes joy in every aspect of the process. And it is a process, a time consuming one that involves booming, corralling, cleaning and a lot of other steps before the cranberries are ready for delivery at the receiving station. Henry’s illustrations perfectly complement Detlefsen’s prose and provide a good look at how involved being a cranberry grower can be. The author’s note helps readers get a good idea about the history of the industry and the back matter also includes two recipes and a handy glossary.

From Apple Trees to Cider Please Written by Felicia Sanzari Chernesky with illustrations by Julia Patton
(Albert Whitman & Company; $16.99, Ages 4-8)
Chernesky takes us to an apple orchard where all kinds of apples are ripe for the plucking. There are Honeycrisp (my current fave), Golden Delicious, Granny Smith, and Fuji trees and an apple picking family is filling up baskets with a nice assortment. After the family’s done they head over to the cider mill where they’re shown how the apple cider press works to extract the juice. Patton’s artwork is scrumptious and whimsical while Chernesky’s rhyme never misses a beat. “Clean the apples. Check for worms. Wash and dry them. No more germs.” This picture book is an ideal read-aloud for fall and will have you salivating for a cup of hot mulled cider by the end, if not sooner!

The Boy Who Fell Off the Mayflower, or John Howland’s Good Fortune
Written and illustrated by P.J. Lynch
(Candlewick Press; $17.99, Ages 7-10)
This not-to-miss story brings to life the tale of the Mayflower’s voyage as seen through the eyes of an indentured servant to John Carver named John Howland. I learned about the Pilgrims so long ago that it was not only refreshing to read this new perspective, but enlightening, too.

Lynch does a bravura job both with the execution of his evocative, muted artwork as well as with his economy of words. He embellishes little yet shares enough to put us right alongside Howland every step of the way. The story opens as Howland leaves London and heads off on the grueling journey across the Atlantic to help his master, John Carver, set up a colony in Virginia. But things don’t go quite as planned and the Mayflower ends up in New England, but not before a huge wave partway through the voyage sends Howland “flying over the side.” Fortune, as the book’s title says, seems to be with Howland everywhere on his trip as he was seen falling overboard and a rope was immediately thrown to rescue him. While half of the Pilgrims died either during the voyage or by the time the first winter had ended, Howland did not succumb to illness and survived to benefit from Squanto’s knowledge of the land. The descriptions of the three day Thanksgiving feast and Howland’s burgeoning relationship with one of the Pilgrims, Lizzy Tilley, add to the richness of this book and will no doubt spark interest in readers to dive even deeper into the history of the Pilgrims in the New World.

Thanksgiving Activity Book
Written by Karl Jones with illustrations by Joey Chou
(Price Stern Sloan; $9.99, Ages 3 and up)
Keep kids busy this Thanksgiving holiday with an activity book that starts off with some interesting facts then includes a bunch of Thanksgiving themed activities such as a word find, a crossword puzzle before moving onto traditional Thanksgiving recipes (pumpkin soup and corn bread) to be done with adult supervision. Best of all, there are clever craft ideas from a fall-leaf placemat to corn-husk dolls. I really liked the press-out paper crafts, in fact, I plan to make the turkey centerpiece. If that’s not enough, there’s a slew of stickers to keep kids thoroughly occupied as they create their very own Thanksgiving mini-masterpieces.

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– Reviewed by Ronna Mandel

Other Recommended Thanksgiving books:

Turkey Time!
with illustrations by Melanie Matthews
(Price Stern Sloan; $5.99, Ages 3 and up)

Over the River & Through the Wood: A Holiday Adventure
Written by Linda Ashman with illustrations by Kim Smith
(Sterling Children’s Books; $14.95, Ages 3-7)

Thanksgiving at the Tappletons’
Written by Eileen Spinelli with illustrations by Maryann Cocca-Leffler
(HarperCollins; $17.99, Ages 4-8)

Charlie Bumpers vs. the Perfect Little Turkey
Written by Bill Harley & Illustrated by Adam Gustavson
(Peachtree Publishing; $13.95, Ages 7-10)

The Mayflower by Mark Greenwood

November 26, 2014
goodreadswithronna
Ages 4-8, Farming & Farm Life, Holidays & Celebrations, Juvenile Fiction, Multicultural stories, Native American interest, Thanksgiving, Transportation, Travel & Adventure

The Mayflower written by Mark Greenwood
and illustrated by Frané Lessac
(Holiday House, 2014. $16.95. Ages 4-8)

A Voyage to the First Thanksgiving

In 1621, a group of nearly 100 people, many of whom experienced religious persecution, left England to find a place where they could worship freely. After an arduous voyage across the Atlantic Ocean–which included violent storms and the birth of a child, they sighted land and eventually founded a settlement near Plymouth Harbor.

Their troubles were not over. Arriving late in the year, they faced a cold and difficult winter. Many were ill. However, in early spring, Squanto, a native from a local tribe, taught the Pilgrims how to plant corn and fertilize the fields with fish. That fall, Massasoit, chief of the Wampanoag, and 90 of his warriors joined the Pilgrims for a harvest celebration, our first Thanksgiving

Greenwood’s narrative in this picture book can be read aloud to young children to introduce them to the traditional Thanksgiving story. Complex issues, such as religious persecution and the Mayflower Compact, are briefly, but clearly expressed in language young children can understand. The hardships the Pilgrims faced are not overdramatized and the author weaves in interesting “kid friendly” facts about daily life aboard the ship: food, sleeping arrangements, entertainment, etc.

Lessac’s colorful gouache illustrations, reminiscent of folk art, enliven the narrative and create a vivid and dramatic visual of the journey and the settlement. A stunning two-page spread of a beautiful, calm night at sea, the sky full of stars sparkling around a full moon, belies the dangers the ship would soon face on its journey to the new world. Sure enough, a month later, the Mayflower and its passengers and crew sail into the stormy season, which Lessac stylistically portrays with a pinkish sky dotted with dark storm clouds. Jagged bolts of lightning and torrents of rain fall from the clouds. The image of the ship rolling in the rough sea further demonstrates the ocean’s frightening power and the hardships the crew and passengers faced on their way to the new world.

An excellent and colorful read aloud to introduce younger children to the origins of our Thanksgiving celebration.

Visit Australian author Mark Greenwood’s website for more information about his books.

Illustrator Frané Lessac’s website is a must-see for her artwork and a video about how the illustrator works.

Click here for Holiday House’s Educator’s Guide for this book.

Enjoy this dramatic book trailer for The Mayflower.

– Reviewed by Dornel Cerro