Thursday, November 19, 2009

Thanksgiving on Thursday!

So, I stole the post title from the famous Magic Tree House series... but it's appropriate. Thanksgiving is officially one week from today, and therefore it's time to break out some literature to help the festivities begin! Here are a few suggestions for you and the children!

Havill, Juanita.
Jamaica Is Thankful.
October 2009.
Houghton Mifflin Harcourt.


Every year on Thanksgiving Day in my house, it's tradition to go around the table and tell what you are thankful for. A lot of times the things that we're thankful for seem to be trivial, unimportant things that we could easily get along without. If this is a tradition at your house too, this is a wonderful book to share with your family. While there is no Thanksgiving emphasis whatsoever, we see a little Jamaica as she learns that she's thankful for her brother, Ossie, even though his pet allergies result in Jamaica having to give up a cute, cuddly kitten. This would also be a good book to share if you have children at home who don't seem to really appreciate each other for who they are and not what they are!

Nelson, Robin.
Thanksgiving.
August 2009.
Lerner Classroom.


I've featured numerous books by Robin Nelson on my blog in the past. However, this one stood out just a bit more than normal as I read it. It seems like it would be an ideal book for the youngest of children who are just beginning to learn what Thanksgiving's all about! Not only that, it's perfect for beginning readers, as the limited text works alongside the photograph illustrations to provide ample context clues for unknown words and vocabulary! This is definitely a book I'm glad to add to my library!

Friedman, Laurie.
Thanksgiving Rules.
September 2009.
Lerner Publishing Group.


Percy Isaac Gifford is a little boy who knows everything, EVERYTHING there is to know about Thanksgiving and he's here to share his knowledge with your little ones to ensure their Thanksgiving be as successful as possible! If they're willing to follow his ten rules (all of which are explained in greater detail in story format), everyone should have a Happy Thanksgiving!

Rule 1: Smile and say "Pumpkin Pie!"
Rule 2: Eat, drink, but first clean!
Rule 3: Short = Sweet
Rule 4: The early bird gets the turkey.
Rule 5: The more the merrier!
Rule 6: Don't be afraid to eat EVERYTHING!
Rule 7: Don't stop or drop, just take some rolls.
Rule 8: The 2nd time is the charm!
Rule 9: Life is sweeter when you eat sweets.
Rule 10: A hug makes the heart grow fonder.

While some of these rules (when stated alone) may make absolutely no sense to you or even your kids, everyone will for sure be chuckling as you read them alongside the rest of Percy's advice. This is a light-hearted, funny book that is perfect reading for the night before Thanksgiving! It might even be fun to encourage your child(ren) to come up with an 11th rule of their own that could be added to Percy's rules!

Some Thanksgiving Fun for the Kids:
If you're interested in finding out more information about any of the books reviewed or if you'd like to purchase the books, click the cover image for a link to Amazon.com.

1 comments:

style='clear: both;' Mozi Esme said...

I've been looking for some good Thanksgiving books - thanks!