1 comments about Best Thanksgiving Ever.

1. A family of turkeys shows us the true meaning of Thanksgiving.
   
   In this rhyming tale of a turkey family who comes together for one of the most significant events of the year, we are treated with a story of love, laughter and the chaos of this holiday season. Tom turkey is helping to clean the house while Aunt Biddy (who arrived late last night from Denver) is resting. Everyone pitches in to prepare the meal. Then the rest of the relatives arrive and everyone is thankful for something.
   
   This book is a short and sweet reminder of why this holiday is so special: a chance to come together and to be with the ones we love. If you are looking for a good Thanksgiving story to share with your children and express why Thanksgiving is important, this is a good book to read. The illustrations are adorable and the message is clear.

No comments about Theo's Thanksgiving.

No comments about Gobble, Gobble, Giggle: A Book Stuffed with Thanksgiving Riddles (Lift-the-Flap Riddle Book).

5 comments about Thanksgiving Is Here!.

1. Diane Goode went to a lot of large family gatherings when she was growing up, which is why when she asked herself "What happens at Thanksgiving?" the answer was "Why, everything!" This idea is important because you want to pay attention to the details in these pen-and-ink drawings with a watercolor wash that tell the story of what happens when twenty-eight friends and relatives arrive on Thanksgiving Day. It begins with Grandma and Grandpa rising early on Thanksgiving morning to get the turkey in the oven before the guests arrive to help, talk, and eat (not necessarily in that order). The story is told by young Maggie, who arrives with her family first, when it is time to peel the potatoes and roll out the dough. But then more people arrive, from Maggie's glamorous aunt and the uncle with a hairpiece that cannot stay in one place to the acrobatic cousin and the friendly dog that follow Maggie around. Intended for young readers age 3-8, being able to read the simple text of "Thanksgiving Is Here!" is only part of the fun. The main part comes from looking at the pictures and discovering what is in the surprise package, who might be interested in becoming more than friends, and several other things that can be learned only by carefully studying each and every illustration. "Thanksgiving Is Here!" is either a perfect reward for young readers who have helped prepare the food or set the table, or as a fun way of keeping them occupied while the adults have all the Turkey Day fun.



2. The busy, whimsical illustrations tell much of the story in this book that kids will enjoy poring over. Grandma and Grandpa are up early to wrestle the turkey into the oven. Aunts, uncles and cousins start arriving, with assorted babies, pets, paraphernalia and packages.

   The simple acts of peeling potatoes, setting the table, hunting for extra chairs, yakking, horseplay -- and several visual subplots --are joyfully depicted in this celebration of family gatherings.




3. I just love this book, it so perfectly covers Thanksgiving and families. I have read this book at least 20 times, and I still find something new. The author has thirty guests over for dinner. My boys and I have fun following a different character through the whole book. Very enjoyable!



4. This sweet book describes Thanksgiving in a big family with folks continually pouring through the door. We are a BIG family, 11 kids, 25 grandkids, and we read this to the younger ones this year. They just loved it! Sweet and loving story, I returned to buy more copies!



5. If you have big noisy Thanksgiving Dinners, this book captures that atmosphere perfectly. The text is fairly simple, but the illustrations are great. There is a lot going on and to look at. My 4 year old and 6 year old both really enjoyed reading this book.

3 comments about Thelonius Turkey Lives!.

1. Just when you thought you saw it all, here comes marching in Thelonius Turkey Lives!(On Felicia Ferguson's Farm) written and illustrated by Lynn Rowe Reed.
   
   It is an adorable book and the surprise comes not in the eating of the Turkey but into something else. No, I won't divulge its secret, however, it is resolved in a satisfying conclusion.
   
   Without giving too much away, the story revolves around Thelonius the turkey, who believes one week prior to Thanksgiving that he is going to die. The countdown begins and
   Thelonius becomes jittery and nervous before discovering that he is a famous hat designer, triggering in him hardy laughter.
   
   The tale, with its zany characters flying off the pages, is effective in building tension, while adding in a good dose of fun and humor. And if you are a vegetarian, the plot even seems plausible, provided you are petrified of the Avian Flue. Reed is super in her rendering of simplicity in her bright and energetic illustrations, which at times, may be silly, are nonetheless good for a chuckle.
   
   This title is a great addition to Thanksgiving literature and it will surely linger on in the minds of young listeners and readers. One last comment-you even have vegetarian recipes added at the end of the book.
   
   Highly recommended for the little and BIG people. Believe Thelonius!
   
   Lily Azerad-Goldman, Artist & Bookreviewer for Bookpleasures.



2. Like TAPPLETONS THANKSGIVING, this one should be a read-aloud every year before the meal begins. The artwork is an appropriately goofy mix of realia, typography, paints with lively movement on the page, but best of all there are TWO recipes at the end of the book--Sweet Potato Casserole and Thelonius' Feather Cookies (plus lots of inspiration for feather-based art, not to mention making hats with Thelonius Feathers. Keep this one in your turkey roasting pan so you remember to read it every year! Teachers will love it as an alternative to pilgrims and parades. Best of all, kids will like knowing that they are NOT munching on Thelonius.



3. We gave the book to a niece and everyone thought it was a beautifully done, creative spin on Turkey day. The kids loved the real pictures combined with the drawings. Very clever.

No comments about The Story of Thanksgiving.

5 comments about Rivka's First Thanksgiving.

1. Kovalski's heroine touches children on both a personal and national level. Rivka endeavors to become American. Her family's quest for freedom is like the Pilgrim's. She helps her family to recognize and celebrate the true spirit of the Thanksgiving Holiday.



2. In rich and spirited prose, accompanied by warmly rendered illustrations, Rivka's First Thanksgiving captures the texture and cadence of early 20th century Jewish immigrant life in New York City. The story teaches children the importance of old traditions, as well as the necessity for creating new ones. The reader can almost smell the turkey -- and the challah!



3. Elsa Rael's book fills a truly needed place in American-Jewish children's literature and children's literature on the whole. The story of a clear headed and plunky little girl who mounts up steep wood tenement steps to confront first one austere little rabbi in his book-filled room to a whole roomful of them to explain why Jews should celebrate Christmas is wonderful! The Lower East Side is everyone's heritage, and Ms. Rael and her magical illustrator bring it to life. You see the world of the 1930's through the eyes of a child. Original and heartwarming.



4. The recent political atmosphere makes this book even more profoundly important. Children see the need and are starving to understand each other's cultures. I read it to my 11-yr and 13-yr. Puerto Rican - American born niece & nephew a couple of days before Thanksgiving, wondering if they'd be too old & too sophisticated to enjoy it, (they are Harry Potter fans.) This book both empowered them and satisfied their need to more fully understand how children from a different culture (Jewish) relate to "Thanksgiving." It 's apparent that we've gotton away from the roots of this American holiday and that "Thanksgiving" had never clicked in their heads. It helped them to understand why people from other countries still come to America today. My "kids" strongly identifed with "Rivka's" courage to stand up for her own point of view . They were thoroughy engaged in the story and loved the illustrations-and so did I. J. Gardner



5. Hear an interview with Rivka's First Thanksgiving illustrator Maryann Kovalski on The Book of Life podcast's Thanksgiving Special episode (November 2007) at www.bookoflifepodcast.com!

No comments about Thanksgiving Day (Holiday Histories).

No comments about Clifford's Thanksgiving: Clifford Y El Dia de Accion de Gracias.

1 comments about Albert's Thanksgiving (Aladdin Picture Books).

1. Albert the school handygoose is helping the PTA get ready for the school's annual Thanksgiving feast by harvesting the vegetables and flowers from the school's garden. He just gets started when he receives a note from perky Patsy Pig, PTA President. The continual string of requests from Patsy to do "just one more tiny little job" (such as building tables, baking pumpkin pizzas for the whole school, and cleaning up the picnic area by himself) keeps Albert from his own work and has him nearly tearing out all his feathers in frustration! Leslie Tryon's large, colorful, full-page illustrations capture the flurry of activity that surrounds preparing for Thanksgiving, as well as the exuberence of the feast itself. The comic conclusion will strike a chord with any grown-up who has ever worked on a school committee -- or ever chaired one. This story works well with groups of children ranging from 4 to 8. Their parents like it, too!