My First Thanksgiving [Board book]

Tomie dePaola (Author)

Book Description

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

The traditional celebration is clearly and simply explained in My First Thanksgiving with spare text and Tomie dePaola?s bright illustrations. A 3-D effect brings the cover artwork to life!

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

PreSchool-- In just six double-page spreads and fewer than ten sentences, dePaola tries to capture some of the historical significance and manifestations of the holiday and to relate them to contemporary celebrations. Pilgrims are depicted on the first spread (dressed in a variety of pastel tones?), but there is no attempt to define who they are, where they came from, or why they are grateful to be in "their new home." de Paola states, "Their friends came with food for the feast," but there's no indication that they joined in. The book then jumps to the ways in which a modern family prepares for and enjoys the annual feast--with lots of company and food aplenty. Only total strangers to children's books will fail to recognize the author's familiar illustrative style executed here in watercolor and colored pencil. A harmless, but lackluster holiday offering that should set preschoolers well on the road to asking questions--just don't expect to find any answers here.
- Luann Toth, School Library Journal
Copyright 1993 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 3 and up
  
• Board book: 14 pages
• Publisher: Grosset & Dunlap (August 14, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0448448572
• ISBN-13: 978-0448448572
• Product Dimensions: 7.8 x 7.4 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 6.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (8 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #293,691 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #37 in Books > 4-for-3 Books > Children's Books > People & Places > Holidays & Festivals > Thanksgiving
  • #49 in Books > Children's Books > Holidays & Celebrations > Thanksgiving

More About the Author

"Tomie dePaola was born in Meriden, Connecticut, in 1934 to a family of Irish and Italian background. By the time he could hold a pencil, he knew what his life's work would be. His determination to create books for children led to a BFA from Pratt Institute in Brooklyn, New York, and an MFA from the California College of Arts & Crafts in Oakland, California.
It drove him through the years of teaching, designing greeting cards and stage sets, and painting church murals until 1965, when he illustrated his first children's book, Sound, by Lisa Miller for Coward-McCann. Eventually, freed of other obligations, he plunged full time into both writing and illustrating children's books.
He names Fra Angelico and Giotto, Georges Rouault, and Ben Shahn as major influences on his work, but he soon found his own unique style. His particular way with color, line, detail, and design have earned him many of the most prestigious awards in his field, among them a Caldecott Honor Award for Strega Nona, the Smithsonian Medal from the Smithsonian Institution, the Kerlan Award from the University of Minnesota for his ""singular attainment in children's literature,"" the Catholic Library Association's Regina Medal for his ""continued distinguished contribution,"" and the University of Southern Mississippi Medallion. He was also the 1990 United States nominee for the Hans Christian Andersen Medal for illustration.
Tomie dePaola has published almost 200 children's books in fifteen different countries. He remains one of the most popular creators of books for children, receiving more than 100,000 fan letters each year.
Tomie lives in an interesting house in New Hampshire with his four dogs. His studio is in a large renovated 200-year-old barn.
- He has been published for over 30 years.
- Over 5 million copies of his books have sold worldwide.
- His books have been published in over 15 different countries.
- He receives nearly 100,000 fan letters each year.
Tomie dePaola has received virtually every significant recognition for his books in the children's book world, including:
- Caldecott Honor Award from American Library Association
- Newbery Honor Award from American Library Association
- Smithson Medal from Smithsonian Institution
- USA nominee in illustration for Hans Christian Andersen Medal
- Regina Medal from Catholic Library Association

"

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars My First Thanksgiving (Boardbook), November 1, 2008

By 

Anna M. Ligtenberg "AnnaLovesBooks" (Chicago) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: My First Thanksgiving (Board book)

ISBN 0399223274 - Thanksgiving qualifies as the most awkward of holidays for non-religious Americans AND those who seek political correct-ness, so to see how it's addressed in books for children is always interesting. That curiosity, and the attraction of Tomie dePaola as author/illustrator, made choosing this book a no-brainer - and what a good choice it was!

The first couple pages are given to the history of Thanksgiving: the pilgrims, thankful to be together in their new home, thank God with a feast that they share with their new friends. The remainder of the book covers Thanksgiving today, from the infamous traced-hand turkeys to mince pie.

It is almost impossible to imagine that any book about Thanksgiving can fairly leave out the god that everyone is thanking. In dePaola's book, that's definitely god-capital-G, mentioned only one time, but those who don't believe in that god may want to skip this book. For the politically correct adult crowd, there's an awkward moment: The pilgrims' friends come with food for the feast. They are not identified as Indians, the correct term for the time, but not PC. They are not identified as Native Americans, the PC term that the pilgrims wouldn't recognize. They are simply called friends, but clearly illustrated as Indians. It's a weird-feeling attempt to dance around the issue and, while adults can't help but notice it, kids are not likely to care.

The illustrations are, as in most board books, at least half of the story. These are excellent. The ones of the pilgrims' time are simple and without a lot of background detail, while the present-day images are much busier. That's a nice, realistic touch, but there is one oddity: the pilgrims and their friends are all adults, there's not a kid in sight! This one is a very basic, easy to understand, introduction to the holiday and well worth sharing with your child.

- AnnaLovesBooks

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars sweet and simple, July 6, 2008

By 

Susan Edgington "madcatgirl" (Florida) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: My First Thanksgiving (Board book)

This is a great first book for introducing Thanksgiving. I have used it many years in my preschool classroom. It has simple text and bold pictures that show both historical and modern day images of the Thanksgiving celebration that young kids can easily understand. After a few reads, my preschool kids would read the book themselves, remembering the words as they looked at the pictures.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Thanksgiving for little ones!, December 7, 2007

By 

ANITA SKOP "Literacy Maven" (New York, NY) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: My First Thanksgiving (Board book)

This beautiful board book by Tomie DePaola is one in a series that captures a wide range of holidays for young children. I am a big fan of the author and love the sensitivity of his art work and his writing. A great way to bring the idea of Thanksgiving to the little ones without being pompous or overly long...Highly recommended!