Thanksgiving in the White House [Hardcover]

Gary Hines (Author), Alexandra Wallner (Illustrator)

Book Description

Age Level: 4 and up

Hardcover: 32 pages ; Dimensions (in inches): 8.00 x 0.25 x 10.25 Publisher: Henry Holt and Co. (BYR); 1st edition (September 1, 2003) ISBN: 080506530X Ages 4-8 President Abraham Lincoln's youngest son, Tad, is very fond of Jack the turkey. He has tamed him and taught him tricks, and the bird follows him all around the White House yard. But Jack was meant to be the main dish of the first official Thanksgiving celebration. Tad doesn't want his pet to be eaten for dinner, not even for a day as special as Thanksgiving! Can he convince his father to save Jack's life?"

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

Kindergarten-Grade 3-The author/illustrator team that created A Christmas Tree in the White House (Holt, 1998) has set another holiday story in the presidential mansion. Young Tad Lincoln, horrified to learn that his tame turkey is destined to be served at the Thanksgiving feast, begs his father to pardon his pet. This fictionalized account of a true incident is filled with tidbits about Tad's known antics in the White House-charging visitors tolls, setting up a fruit stand, and discharging a toy cannonball into the Cabinet Room door. They add touches of humor to the tale, as do the stylized gouache illustrations. A few of Wallner's paintings are inconsistent in proportion or perspective, but give the overall impression of charming folk art. An informational section at the end features a photograph of Lincoln with his son and explains that, though much of the story is invented, Tad's exploits were legendary; those mentioned in the book are based on actual accounts. A brief explanation of the Civil War and description of Abraham Lincoln's life and presidency are appended. Pair this with Laurie Halse Anderson's Thank You, Sarah: The Woman Who Saved Thanksgiving (S & S, 2002) to give students an overview of 1863, the year Thanksgiving was declared a national holiday.
Laurie Edwards, West Shore School District, Camp Hill, PA
Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Booklist

Gr. 1-3. Hines travels back in history to the White House in November of 1863, the year Abraham Lincoln officially declared Thanksgiving a national holiday. Young Tad, the mischievous but good-hearted son of the President, is the principal character here, campaigning to save his pet turkey from the holiday chopping block and trying his best to help some of the many petitioners in line to see his father about a lost or fallen victim of the Civil War. Wallner's typically crisp, precisely detailed gouache illustrations, which vary nicely between spot art and full-page pictures, are pleasing, if a little stiff this time around--as is Hine's surprisingly nondramatic narrative. Still, this story, based on actual events (though some have been changed and dialogue is fiction), provides curious children with a framework for understanding how Thanksgiving came about. More information about Tad and the Civil War appears in two brief appended notes. Stephanie Zvirin
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 4 and up
  
• Hardcover: 32 pages
• Publisher: Henry Holt and Co. (BYR); 1st edition (September 1, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 080506530X
• ISBN-13: 978-0805065305
• Product Dimensions: 10.3 x 8.2 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 11.2 ounces
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,694,167 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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