The Very First Thanksgiving Day [Hardcover]

Rhonda Gowler Greene (Author), Susan Gaber (Author)

Book Description

This is the food, gathered and blessed,
the corn and sweet berries, the wild turkey dressed,
shared on the very first Thanksgiving Day.

The story of the first Thanksgiving celebration, told in cumulative rhyme, introduces young readers to America's most beloved national tradition, which began with a shared feast to rejoice in the bounty of the land, new beginnings, and peace between two societies.

Exquisite paintings by Susan Gaber transport the reader back to the earliest days of American history with meticulous detail and breathtaking imagery. Sure to be a yearly favorite, The Very First Thanksgiving Day will resonate with readers young and old on this day for thanks and blessings.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

The team behind The Stable Where Jesus Was Born reprises a "House That Jack Built" format: "These are the Pilgrims who farmed the new land,/ who steadfastly labored and toiled by hand,/ and learned from the Indians, skillful and strong." While this construct necessitates somewhat simplistic characterizations, Greene succinctly describes the first feast and traces the Pilgrims' roots back to England. Gaber contributes breathtaking paintings, particularly noteworthy for their distinctive autumnal lighting and robust, Brueghelesque palette. Her illustration of the Mayflower, seen as a tiny ship against a vast sea nearly indistinguishable from the sky, alone testifies to the Pilgrims' courageous journey. Ages 3-6.
Copyright 2002 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From School Library Journal

PreSchool-Grade 1-This rhyming ramble in a "This Is the House That Jack Built" style mentions Thanksgiving at the beginning and the end as a tidy place to tuck in helpful Indians, Pilgrim houses, the harbor, the Mayflower, the ocean, the land the Pilgrims came from (no name mentioned), and the "big rock" on the shore where they landed. Pleasing acrylic paintings lift the pedestrian text from adequate to engaging. With six "this" and three "these" totally dependent on the pictures, it is fortunate that the selective realism of Gaber's acrylic paintings is up to the task. In addition, effective use is made of the double-page, full-page, and spot formats. Author and illustrator notes explain the choice of Indian in the text and elaborate on the first celebration of this holiday. (Though the author states that it "lasted three days" in her notes, it is only the "very first" day that she addresses.) While lacking the depth and detail of other picture books on the topic, this title is clearly intended for the very young.
Jody McCoy, The Bush School, Seattle, WA
Copyright 2002 Reed Business Information, Inc.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 32 pages
• Publisher: Atheneum; 1 edition (October 1, 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0689833016
• ISBN-13: 978-0689833014
• Product Dimensions: 10.2 x 9 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 13.6 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.1 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,839,962 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

25 of 27 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars An introduction to Thanksgiving for the very young, November 20, 2002

By 

A. Ryan "Merribelle" (Westminster, CA USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

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This review is from: The Very First Thanksgiving Day (Hardcover)

This is a beautifully illustrated picture book for young children about the original Thanksgiving feast for the pilgrims and indians (the author's preferred term based on historical precedence, as she explains in the Foreword). The text is placed into a gentle rhyme that takes us back to the landing at Plymouth rock, where a series of lovely paintings then depict the people's lives in their village by the harbor that first year.

It is obvious that the illustrator put a lot of careful attention into researching for historical accuracy. This is a teaching technique that is particularly effective for an age group in which a picture is truly worth a thousand words. Although hardships and struggles are hinted at in both rhyme and painting, the real focus is on the positive relationship between the two peoples as the Indians helped the Pilgrims adapt to their new home.

The only caveat -- for christians and anyone who is a monotheist -- is that this book nowhere mentions God, who is after all the reason for this holiday. It is a significant historical fact that the Pilgrims fled England due to religious persecution, and that this first Thanksgiving Feast was in Giving Thanks to God for His blessings and bounty. Later, Abraham Lincoln officially pronounced Thanksgiving as the last Thursday in November and reaffirmed that it was a holiday specifically set aside to revere God. So, the author's careful avoidance of this fact is a disappointment to me.

But if you are more on the politically correct side, you will find this book to be a perfect introduction to Thanksgiving for your children.

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Lovely!, October 9, 2002

By A Customer

This review is from: The Very First Thanksgiving Day (Hardcover)

The poetic text and rich art of this book complement each other perfectly. It presents a good amount of information in a simple format so that even young preschoolers can start to understand the origins of this tradition. This book reads like a classic...it's lovely!

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Strong text, rich illustrations, October 1, 2002

By A Customer

This review is from: The Very First Thanksgiving Day (Hardcover)

This story begins and ends with the very first Thanksgiving Day but the scope of the book is much wider than that day. The carefully rhymed text and realistic illustrations invite the reader to take a step back, then another, and another, all the way back to the Pilgrims leaving their homeland and boarding the Mayflower. The result is that the day is put into historical context in a way that's understandable even to the very young. This is a wonderful, age-appropriate look at what the Pilgrims had to go through just to get to the first Thanksgiving Day, and how the Indians helped them.