America's Real First Thanksgiving [Library Binding]

Robyn Gioia (Author)

Book Description

Age Level: 8 and up | Grade Level: 3 and up

When most Americans think of the first Thanksgiving, they think of the Pilgrims and the Indians in New England in 1621. But 56 years before they celebrated, Spanish explorer Pedro Men??ndez arrived on the coast of Florida and founded the first North American city, St. Augustine. On September 8, 1565, the Spanish and the native Timucua celebrated with a feast of Thanksgiving. The Spanish most likely offered cocido, a rich stew made with pork, and the Timucua may have brought wild turkey, venison, or even alligator, along with corn, beans, and squash. Learn about our real first Thanksgiving. Learn about Spain and Florida in the 1560s. And make your own cocido from a recipe provided in this important and groundbreaking book.

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

Grade 3–6—Which state claims the first Thanksgiving? Massachusetts may come to mind, but Texas, Maine, Florida, and Virginia all have historical evidence of similar celebrations that predate the Pilgrims' gathering. This account describes the meeting of Spanish explorer Pedro Menéndez de Avilés and Native people called the Timucua near what became St. Augustine, in 1565. According to the author, in gratitude to God "for a safe journey and a new land," the explorer "provided a Thanksgiving feast for the Spanish, with the Timucua as guests." In order to lend context, chapter topics include a summary of the world in 1565, a discussion of uncharted lands, Spain in the 1560s, Florida in the 1560s, a description of the Timucuan way of life, the founding of St. Augustine, events on the day of Thanksgiving, and St. Augustine today. Period maps, paintings, photographs of artifacts, and original watercolor illustrations help explain the historical concepts. While many of the period works are informative, the original paintings bear an unfortunate resemblance to coloring-book pages. One illustration caption identifies a Native couple as a king and queen, although it is questionable that the Timucua themselves would have used that terminology. This book is well intentioned and extremely earnest about bringing attention to this seldom-explored historical topic. It might be of interest to people studying Florida history or visiting St. Augustine.—Lucinda Snyder Whitehurst, St. Christopher's School, Richmond, VA
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

About the Author

Robyn Gioia teaches full-time and has been active in children s literature since joining a group of writers during a three-year stay in England. She reviews children's books for the School Library Journal, is a member of the Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators, and her middle-grade novel, Rinny and The Trail of Clues (by Robyn Leslie), has won several awards, including the Benjamin Franklin Silver Award for Best New Children's Voice.

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 8 and up
  
• Library Binding: 48 pages
• Publisher: Pineapple Press; 1st edition (April 16, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1561643890
• ISBN-13: 978-1561643899
• Product Dimensions: 8.4 x 10.2 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 14.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #466,495 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Discover books, learn about writers, read author blogs, and more.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent and Concise History of Florida for Young Readers, May 17, 2008

By 

C. Quatrano (St. Augustine, Florida) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: America's Real First Thanksgiving (Library Binding)

America's REAL First Thanksgiving by Robyn Gioia is a must-have for all elementary school teachers of Florida's history. Full of interesting and little known details, it is a well-written account not only of the first thanksgiving celebration held in St. Augustine, but of the fascinating historical events preceding this noteworthy occasion. In addition to the rich text, the book contains beautiful full-color illustrations and photographs with informative captions, a timeline, a glossary, and a recipe for Cocido, a type of bean soup served at the first thanksgiving. This book (and its companion teacher's manual) would be a valuable addition to Florida's fourth grade curriculum by providing a concise but thorough glimpse into Florida's past and the REAL first thanksgiving.

3 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Missed opportunity, December 23, 2007

By 

Robert Whitney "Roberto" (Deltona, Florida USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: America's Real First Thanksgiving (Library Binding)

This book should have really been called "A Short History of Florida" as it hardly mentions the first Thanksgiving. It says little about who attended the First Thanksgiving nor the fact that the Bishop of Havana would come for a week each year to officiate in the Thanksgiving celebrations. There is no mention of the fact that most Spanish colonies celebrated Thanksgiving each fall. That the Pilgrims probably became accustomed to this celebration while living in the then Spanish controlled Holland before coming to Cape Cod. Too bad it does not live up to it's title and researched better. Florida and the rest of the USA deserves to know where the real first regular Thanksgiving was celebrated. Not the tradition taught by our uninformed public schools.

5 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Fascinating introduction to little-known history for young readers., June 10, 2007

By 

Midwest Book Review (Oregon, WI USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: America's Real First Thanksgiving (Library Binding)

America's REAL First Thanksgiving is a picturebook about a feast shared by Spanish explorer Pedro Menendez and the Timucua Indians upon the founding of St. Augustine in what is now Florida. This shared exchange of food and gratitude took place on September 8, 1565, fifty-six years before the landmark Pilgrim celebration. "Why, you may ask, don't the history books record that the first Thanksgiving was in St. Augustine, Florida? Well, for many reasons England grew to be the dominant culture in the United States, and it is from their viewpoint that much of our history is told. But as time passes and unknown facts come to light, a more detailed history emerges from our heritage. And every year, more and more people join in celebrating our country's first Thanksgiving by serving cocido as the honored meal of the day." Full-color photographs and a recipe for cocido round out this fascinating introduction to little-known history for young readers.