Through the Looking Glass Children's Book Reviews

Thanksgiving

Thanksgiving

Valerie Bodden
Nonfiction Picture Book
For ages 4 to 6
The Creative Company, 2005   ISBN: 978-1583413708

Thanksgiving is a very old feast. For hundreds of years it was simply a harvest feast that was held in the fall to give thanks for the harvest, a harvest which people needed to get them through the winter. It acquired a new name when settlers in Canada and America not only gave thanks for the food that they had been able to grow but when they also gave thanks for the many good things that they had in their lives. It was not easy to survive in the New World and when settlers made it through another year of hardship they wanted to give thanks.

Today Thanksgiving is a time for being with family, for eating all kinds of good things and for remembering that there are many things that we should be grateful for in our lives. Many people associate the holiday with eating turkey, watching football, falling leaves, and watching colorful parades.

With simplicity, humor, and an obvious sense of history, the author of this little book perfectly captures the essence of Thanksgiving. Beautiful photographs accompany the text and at the back off the book children will find directions on how to make a "Thankful Tree.

This is one of the titles in the "My First Look At Holidays" series.