Customer Reviews

The Thanksgiving Bowl

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4 star:		(1)
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I stumbled onto this book, and ordered it based on its description. I am glad I did.

I don't think I can describe its plot better than the ad blurb associated with it.

The kids like it, and it has a nice message. It will probably become part of the many stories and other Thanksgiving traditions.

It also provides a nice springboard for kids' imaginations about what may happen with items that inevitably get lost around a household containing children!

Grandma Grace had a Thanksgiving tradition. When you arrived at her house, you used the pad of paper and pencil on the hallway table to write down what you were thankful for and placed your paper in the "Thanksgiving Bowl." After all the food had been eaten, while everyone still sat at the table, Grandma read each note in turn and all in attendance at the meal tried to guess who might have written each note.

One particularly warm Thanksgiving day, dessert was served outside. After each note had been read, the weather turned cold and chilly, so everyone hurried inside, leaving the "Thanksgiving Bowl" outside. The wind picked it up and blew it across the street. The next day, when it was cold and snowy, the neighbor children used the bowl as a hat for their snowman. After the snowman melted, the hat blew away into a nearby field, where it became a temporary shelter for a mouse. It later served many purposes before finally "mysteriously" returning to Grandma Grace's house the next Thanksgiving.

The Thanksgiving Bowl, by Virginia Kroll, is a delightful story about a seemingly unimportant bowl that served its purpose, and more, throughout the year. Even though the family doesn't mention God in the things they are thankful for, it's clear that Thanksgiving day is special for them and they celebrate it as a family day of giving thanks for the things they appreciate.

The illustrations, by Philomena O'Neill, are delightful, as well, filling the pages with detailed watercolors of the people and things described in the story.

What I Like: Everything.

What I Dislike: Nothing.

Overall Rating: Excellent.

Age Appeal: The publisher suggests ages 9-12 as the recommended reading level, but I think younger children would also enjoy the story.

Christine M. Irvin - Christian Children's Book Review