5 comments about Gracias The Thanksgiving Turkey (Scholastic Bookshelf: Holiday).

1. I use this book with at-risk 2nd and 3rd grade readers. It is wonderfully multicultural, and involves a multigenerational,Hispanic family living in New York city at Thanksgiving time. Miguel's father is a long-haul trucker who sends him a live turkey to raise for Thanksgiving dinner. Papa will be home to share it with the family. The predictable happens: boy and turkey fall in love. Miguel tries to reach his father in time to spare Gracias' life. At this point, I have my students write a letter, too, as if it were their pet they wanted to keep. The suspense builds until Gracias follows Miguel to church, and gets blessed by the priest! The grandparents are wonderfully supportive, and Tia Rosa is predictably pessimistic. Gracias comes to Thanksgiving dinner, but not in the way expected. My students make written predictions about how Papa will react, and what will happen next. This book is written by Joy Cowley,who writes many of the books we use in the Reading Recovery Program for at-risk readers in the United States. I really love it as it inspires poor writers to write, and gets everyone involved in the enfolding drama.



2. The narrator's dad is a long-haul truck driver who sends a live baby turkey to his son, who lives in New York City with his grandparents. Along with the turkey, he sends instructions to fatten him up for Thanksgiving Day. But by the time dad returns for Thanksgiving, the bird has become a pet, not a meal. The story is quite fun, with just a little tension, but no scary bits. There is a sprinkling of Spanish words throughout the text, and a bilingual glossary at the end of the book. Altogether, the book has about 1300 words.



3. This book is special to me because it is about a holiday. I love this book because it makes me laugh, think of my family, and it makes me think about Thanksgiving. I really enjoyed this book. I really think I should keep this book in my heart. Everyday I read this book. That's why this book is important to me. Also that's why this is one of my favorite book! From,Kiana



4. I read this to my kindergarten class every Thanksgiving when I was teaching. The boy in the story has a dad who is a truck driver so he spends all his time with his grandparents (Abuelo and Abuela). His dad sends along a turkey with a note that he will be home for Thanksgiving dinner. Well, as the boy takes care of and becomes more and more attached to the turkey it becomes apparent they are not going to have a turkey dinner for Thanksgiving.
   
   Nice ending and a very cute story!



5. Too many words for not enough pictures. As a teacher I would have it out for reading time..or on my shelf but it is definately not a read aloud book...I hate picture books with too many words!

5 comments about The Perfect Thanksgiving.

1. An attentive little girl compares Thanksgiving at her own home and that of Abigail Archer, whose family "is perfect in every way":

   "Their turkey is plump and golden.
   Their napkins are made of lace.
   Their table is lit with candles.
   They all hold hands for grace."

   In her house, the smoke alarm wails, sister slurps and uncle burps. Instead of homemade pie with fancy whipped-cream swirls, they have a Jell-O mold that wiggles off its plate and onto the floor.

   Lighthearted paper-collage illustrations contrast the serenity of one family with the pandemonium of the other. Despite their differences, however, both families are alike in their love for one another.




2. As a teacher I try and pick books that students from all demographics can relate to. I chose this book, and afterwards was left to deal with a series of very emotional students who could not cope with the reality of not having a family like Abigail Archer's. Furthermore, a series of schoolyard brawls ensued when students from both sides of the Perfect Thanksgiving's demographic areas got in to a dispute. Ultimately, I would never suggest this volatile book for viewing by anyone under the age of 30.



3. What a perfect book to read to the kids on Thanksgiving. This book shows that we are all the same on the inside even if we are different on the outside. This is the message we need to be sending to our children. I have many nieces and nephews, lots of friends with children, and three of my own. The kids really loved this story!



4. What a nice message sent through colorful pictures, plenty of jokes, and the cutest of poems. The lesson to learn is how each of us are alike. While the kids think they are just reading an exciting new book, little do they know they are subtly learning as well. Thank you for writing this adorable book for our kids to read!



5. I checked this book out from the library for my kids and now I am buying a copy to keep.
   This book is fantastic. The message my kids got from this book is that it doesn't matter if your family isn't perfect, as long as you are together Thanksgiving is perfect. The book goes back and forth between a "perfect" family's Thanksgiving and a "not-perfect" family's Thanksgiving.
   I think it is important that children understand that no one's family is perfect, not even at Thanksgiving.
   In response to the teacher that hated the book, maybe it would have been appropriate to pre-read the book and to have some answers ready for possible questions. We think the book is great!

1 comments about It's Thanksgiving.

1. Great poems for Thanksgiving. Fun to read aloud with one child or a group of children. I used it in my classroom for many years. I bought this copy to donate to the library at my church.

No comments about Scarecrow Finds a Friend.

4 comments about Sisters at War (Sweet Valley Twins).

1. Good book. Could do a little bit more better. Jessica and Elizabeth are always fighting, that's true. Their mother admit that she and her sisters never fight, even once ! But on Thanksgiving Day, everything changes. Jessica and Elizabeth's aunts and cousins come to Sweet Valley to celebrate the big day. Somebody wake up early in the morning to do the stuffing. Some changes in the family history. It also changes the 'harmony' family who never quarrels. They conduct a war on a day which suppose to be happy and loving. Who stop it ? Jessica ? Elizabeth ? One of their cousins ? You'll just have to read it.



2. This was one of the best SVT books I've read! A great Thanksgiving story with a lot of bittersweet memories & a good deal of family stress that marks this time of the year. The book rivals a Baby-Sitters' Club book with its deep probe into the psychology & family dynamics & poignant parts. Interesting how Alice insisted that she & her sister NEVER fought, but when her sisters Nancy & Laura show up, they fight more than Elizabeth & Jessica & their cousins! All in all, it was a lot like a BSC book...a warm, touching family gathering, but imperfect with a poignant, bittersweet ending. The families of the BSC members end up with family gatherings like that. A great Thanksgiving read!



3. This is another extra-funny Sweet Valley Twin classic!Jessica and Elizabeths auntys are visiting and,despite Mrs Wakefields constant ramblings that she and her sisters never ever fought,the house is FILLED to the brim with arguments galore!It is really funny too,and the interaction between Jess +Liz and their cousins is fun and realistiuc as always,and yep we get to meet Robin again!



4. Mr and Mrs.Wakefield invite Mrs.Wakefield's sisters,Laura and Nancy along with their children,Robin,Stacey and Kelly for Thanksgiving and all they do is fight! Alice[Mrs.Wakefield] and her sisters fight,Elizabeth and Jessica fight, Robin and Stacey fight. I think one of them runs away over the fighting.

No comments about Happy Thanksgiving, Emily! (Emily).

1 comments about Corduroy's Thanksgiving (Corduroy (Board Book)).

1. Wonderfulbook! Warm fuzzy story of Corduroy. Colorful pictures. Easy to turn thick pages. Fun pretending you are at Macy's Thanksgiving day parade in NYC.

5 comments about Squanto And The Miracle Of Thanksgiving.

1. This is an excellent resource to teach children the true meaning of Thanksgiving and how much God loves each of his children and has a wonderful plan for all of them. I would definitely recommend this book!



2. This was an incredibly beautiful rendering of Squanto's life. I highly recommend the book to all ages.



3. This is an excellent book for teaching the history of Thanksgiving. The story is well told, and the writing is well crafted. The pictures are remarkable; you can spend a lot of time looking into the faces of the characters, which are rich with emotion and humanity and realism. This book is a great investment.



4. If you want your kids to really know the full story of the first Thanksgiving, then you cannot forego this book. Squanto is one of those stories that has not remained at the fore front of Thanksgiving tales. And, that fact is a crying shame. This story will not only speak facts, it will teach several moral lessons that the child in all of us needs to learn. It is a reminder of how we can be thankful no matter what life hands us in the way of trials. Read this book to your kids and inspire them to live their best lives!



5. We got this book when my son was 3 years old and he loved it. It tells the story in a way that brings glory to God in the midst of difficult circumstances. Highly recommend!

1 comments about PWS: Peanut-butter Pilgrims (A Stepping Stone Book(TM)).

1. The Pee Wee Scouts have several great projects planned to celebrate Thanksgiving. They are making baskets for the food drive, and they collected lots of food like canned goods, peanut butter, cereal, and pasta to go in the baskets, and then they will be delivered to poor people to make their Thanksgiving happy. But it isn't as easy as it looks. Molly's basket is too tight and skinny: it's a one-can size. Rachel's is too loose, and the cans would fall out of it. Starting over is the only option, and this time they will get them right.
   
   Then there is a trip to a turkey farm. How exciting, but the kids all feel sorry for the turkeys, and after seeing and petting the turkeys, they really will not want to eat one. They all agree that they will probably eat peanut butter for Thanksgiving dinner.
   
   Sonny has really fallen in love with a big turkey with two black tail feathers, and manages to talk his mother into buying the turkey for him to take home as a pet. At the next meeting of the Pee Wee Scouts, Sonny is leading his turkey on a red leash. He has named the big bird "Tiger." Sonny is going to build a bird house for Tiger and earn a scout badge for bird house building. Some of the other kids want to help with that project, because it will have to be a very large bird house for Tiger to fit it.
   
   Their main project is the Thanksgiving play, but Molly is very nervous about that...she just is not an actor, and she is sure that she will forget her lines, and everyone will laugh and make fun of her. Nevertheless, Molly's part is going to be the pilgrim mother. She only has one line to remember, but she's just sure that she will forget it. She's especially worried when she finds out that the mayor will be there to see her ruin the play.
   
   The late Judy Delton really knew kids, and had a real flair for writing a great story that keeps kids laughing and turning the pages. Alan Tiegreen's comical pen-and-ink drawings add visual impact to the story. PEANUT-BUTTER PILGRIMS is one of a fun-filled series about the Pee Wee Scouts that will have kids begging for more. This story will be especially good as a read-aloud family time story for younger kids, or independent reading for older children that is guaranteed to keep them entranced.
   
   Reviewed by: Grandma Bev

No comments about Disney's Mickey's Thanksgiving (Mouse Works Holiday Board Book).