Favorite Thanksgiving Books

When I heard there was a linky party for favorite Thanksgiving books I just had to join in the fun. I think I actually have two favorites that I run to the library to grab each and every single year. I use Setting the Turkeys Free by W. Nikola-Lisa with my calendar program. For more information on that go HERE for a full post. I love the artwork in this book and I love how the boy in the book tells his story through the vivid illustrations and makes up the story as he goes along. A dark-skinned youngster paints hand print turkeys, decorating them with sequins, feathers, glitter, and paper scraps. After he collects them in a Popsicle-stick pen, a cartoon fox threatens the flock, which is saved when the artist turns a fist covered with purple paint into a stumbling block, allowing the birds to flee. When it is safe, they are lured back home through the child's creativity with corn kernels. Wilson-Max's artistic modeling on these spreads will inspire future turkey makers to explore new media. Nikola-Lisa keeps sentences simple and enthused so that the story's appeal will not be limited to Thanksgiving's traditional art sessions.–Gay Lynn Van Vleck, Henrico County Library, Glen Allen, VA 

My second favorite is Thanksgiving Day by Anne Rockwell. This book answers the many questions young readers have about one of America's holidays. Traditions are described through the voice of a preschool boy. The child and his classmates take different roles in a class play, and each character explains why he or she is thankful. The page facing each cameo features a "snapshot" of a historical incident such as the landing at Plymouth Rock or the Thanksgiving feast. Rockwell's cartoon illustrations of dewy-eyed preschoolers in their various roles combine with the simple text to create an excellent example of a holiday concept book for inquisitive young readers.

Betsy Barnett, Eads School District, CO