Customer Reviews

Thanks & Giving: All Year Long

5 star:		(3)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I am extremely disappointed with this purchase (and I just made three of them.) Last year I bought the book and the companion CD separately, so when I saw this special edition and price with the book and CD combined, I was delighted because I could afford to give both as Christmas gifts for three separate families. Boy was I embarassed yesterday when they opened up the book and tucked in the back was the "CD" with only 3 songs on it (as opposed to the nearly 20 the original has). I reread the description of this edition on Amazon's website this morning and I don't see it mentioned anywhere that the CD was so incomplete. It implies its the same CD as the companion CD. Charity or no charity, this should have been clearly explained in Amazon's description. If that was the case, I would have bought my family members ONLY the companion CD, which we've enjoyed much more than the book (which is pretty uneven, as previous reviewers have noted.) BUYER BEWARE!

Marlo Thomas has used her celebrity to organize a group of accomplished writers, artists, and actors to write stories about giving and being thankful. The 96 page picture book is ideal for elementary school readers, and is also suitable for reading to younger non-readers. Some of the featured writers include Avi, who has written numerous young adult novels worth checking out. Maurice Sendak is also featured, he's the artist/writer who created Where the Wild Things Are. According to the book description, Ms. Thomas has pledged to give the proceeds from this book to the St. Jude's Children Hospital. I believe this is in Memphis, and was founded by her father.

I loved THANKS & GIVING: ALL YEAR LONG, edited by Marlo Thomas and Christopher Cerf . . . and you will too, particularly if you have a young child or grandchild who never tires of a bedtime
story.

Yet that said, I should add that this book is also a joy for adults--if for just the magnificent illustrations from a variety of artists . . . the range of contributors is likewise impressive:
from Shel Silverstein to Donald Trump and including Deepak Chopra, Paul Newman, and Whoopi Goldberg among others.

You can read THANKS & GIVING straight through or do as I did; i.e., skip around . . . I guarantee that it will put a smile on your face, as well as anybody else you might choose to share it with--and I do encourage you to share it for maximum enjoyment.

There were several memorable passages; among them:
(from "Aunt Delia's Holiday Manners Quiz by Delia Ephron) It's time to go home. What's the best way to show everyone how much you love them?

Give them each a big hug and a kiss and thank Aunt Delia for the delicious dinner. Say, "Some Thanksgiving. The only thing I liked was the white meat turkey." Say, "So long, Aunt Delia, Uncle Jerry, Grandma, Grandpa, Matt, Michelle, and Baldie. See you at Christmas. Bring big presents."

(from "Thank you, Mrs. Abruzzi" by Ray Romano) When I was a kid, my father told me over and over again how important it was for me to get a good education. "Knowledge is power!" he would
bellow. Whenever we talked about school or college, he'd scream it:
"Knowledge is power!"

Then he found out how much a college education costs. "On the other hand," he decided, "what you don't know won't hurt you!"

(from "Presents I Have Known" by Frankie Muniz) STUPIDEST PRESENT I EVER GOT: One birthday all I wanted was a red wagon, just like any other three-year-old. Only problem:
I was fourteen at the time. I thought it would be cool to put stuff in it and pull it around behind my bike. Wrong. You shoulda heard by friends. "Yo, dude, what's up with the red wagon?" Talk
about embarrassing.

Marlo Thomas and Friends--her contributors--have contributed all royalties from the book to St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, founded by her father, Danny Thomas, in 1962.

"Thanks and Giving" contains a nice collection of stories, poems, and songs. The songs all need a piano, so we've not tried them. The stories & poems range from 1 to 3 pages and appropriate for a 2nd grade reading level or above. Some of the stories are nice, some are funny, some hit you over the head with the authors message, some are re-writes of very old stories that may or may not appeal, and "Teeny Meany" makes the villian sound too appealing. Overall, this is a nice bed-time book for children old enough to look at one picture for a few minutes while Mom (or child) reads 200 to 400 words. Most stories have a message that can be discussed. Unfortunately, the title & cover do not appeal to children. In my opinion, this book is "Good" quality but not "Excellent".

As several other reviewers stated, the CD included with the book is NOT the complete CD that is available separately. The CD was the part I was most excited about and I feel like I wasted the express shipping fee to get it here in time for the long car ride with the kids for the Thanksgiving holiday. I feel a little silly for not reading the reviews thoroughly. Had I done that, I would have known the CD only has three songs on it versus the 20 on the regular disc. Lesson learned!

As a child of the '70s who grew up on Free To Be You And Me, I was excited to learn that Marlo Thomas and Friends had published another collection! This nicely illustrated book includes a whimsical variety of stories, poems, and songs as well as a teaser CD with three of the selections performed by famous people (much like Free To Be You And Me). I was mislead by the discription into thinking that all of the selections would be included on the CD and was very disappointed to find that they weren't. I ended up ordering the complete CD seperately and my kids really do love it. The book is nice but if you have to choose one or the other, I would recommend the CD.

Thanks & Giving Book and CD: All Year Long

The seller has shipped the item very quickly. The book is new as seller describe. I am very happy with the purchase.

Do you want to help a good cause? Then buy this book. It is not for us adults, but sometimes we could use some enlightning from childrens literature.

This collection of stories, reminiscences, poems, songs, from famous authors and show-biz folks hangs on a thin thread of "thankfulness" to unify its contents. Sometimes, it's just not quite enough. Good stories by JonScieszka, Whoopi Goldberg, Tiger Woods, Kate DeCamillo (Winn Dixie), and cute songs (CD is good too) redeem the weaker entries. This will be heavily promoted because its royalties go to St. Jude's Hospital and media campaign starts right after football on T-Day. It would make a nice present for your child's dentist or doctor for the waiting room--all the stories are short and sweet.