This Is the Feast (Hardcover)

~ Diane Z. Shore (Author), Megan Lloyd (Illustrator)

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

Grade 2–5—The epic tale of the Pilgrims' first year at the Plymouth settlement is told in verse. Beginning with the Mayflower's journey across the ocean and concluding with the three-day harvest celebration and feast, the struggles and successes of the year are described. Each good turn of events is commemorated with a "Thanks be to God…" appropriate to the Pilgrims' religious motives. The difficult journey and early loss of lives are mentioned along with the discovery of the cleared Patuxet fields and baskets of corn. Squanto, "this wise, clever man," is given credit for helping the Pilgrims by teaching them the skills they needed to survive. It's during the "Feast the Pilgrims prepared" that some long-standing inaccuracies are most apparent. How the Indians participated in and contributed to the Thanksgiving celebration is reduced to the statement that they "shared in the singing and dancing." This omission flaws an otherwise mostly balanced retelling of one of our country's earliest stories. Richly colored and detailed illustrations match the proportions of the events; however, the mentions of "death and disease" and "days of despair" are not reflected in the pictures. Only one apparently ill man is shown amid a room full of robust women and children preparing a meal of roasted fowl and fresh produce. Kate Waters's Giving Thanks: The 1621 Harvest Feast (Scholastic, 2001) and Joseph Bruchac's Squanto's Journey: The Story of the First Thanksgiving (Harcourt, 2000) are better. Larger collections may have room for Shore's title, too.—Carol S. Surges, McKinley Elementary School, Wauwatosa, WI
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From Booklist

This simple, upbeat celebration of the first Thanksgiving begins with the Pilgrims seeking freedom of worship and fighting stormy seas on the Mayflower, “sturdy and strong.” Then they arrive in America, a place to call home. “Death and disease take a terrible toll,” but still there are“unclaimed” fields yielding a treasure of maize and other crops. The Indians are fearful but welcoming, including Squanto, who shares his knowledge of hunting and fishing. Then, after the harvest of plenty, the Pilgrims celebrate their new home and welcome their Indian neighbors to the feast. With the bouncy rhyme and sun-filled illustrations, this offers an idyllic view of the happy holiday, fun for sharing with preschoolers before Thanksgiving. For older readers, pair it with Catherine O’Neill Grace’s 1621:A New Look at Thanksgiving (2001) and other books that include the Indians’ viewpoint and more of the history. Preschool-Grade 2. --Hazel Rochman

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Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 4-8
  
• Hardcover: 32 pages
• Publisher: HarperCollins (August 26, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0066237947
• ISBN-13: 978-0066237947
• Product Dimensions: 10 x 8.8 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 11.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #38,744 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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  #16 in	Books > Children's Books > Holidays & Festivals > Thanksgiving > Nonfiction
  #25 in	Books > Children's Books > History & Historical Fiction > United States > Colonial & Revolutionary
  #55 in	Books > Children's Books > Holidays & Festivals > Thanksgiving > Fiction

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Best Thanksgiving book, November 9, 2008

By	Shelley Cadamy "Shelley" (Oklahoma City, OK United States) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

I've looked at quite a few Thanksgiving books, and this was the best one I could find to read to both a 3-year-old and a 9-year-old. I was looking for a description of the history of Thanksgiving (why we celebrate it), and the other books I found were either the "fairy tale" kind that totally glossed over everything but the good stuff, or the drier than a textbook kind. This was a happy medium, and both my kids like it. It was just detailed enough to give me an entry into explaining more to the 9-year-old, and "fun" enough to keep the 3-year-old entertained. Good book!

3 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Nice lesson about Thanksgiving but needs to lighten up a bit, October 29, 2008

By	Feathered Quill Book Reviews (Goshen, MA) - See all my reviews

Amid the scores of Christmas books, it is nice to see one highlighting the holiday of Thanksgiving. This Is The Feast, is a colorful, lyrical story of the pilgrims' first year. The story begins with the harrowing trip across the ocean on the Mayflower, covers the hardships of the first year in Massachusetts, the appearance of the Indians through the first bountiful harvest and Thanksgiving feast. In keeping with the tone of the times, "Thanks be to God for..." with a different ending is used every few pages to end the thought or event described.

The illustrations for This Is The Feast are bright, detailed, and sure to encourage conversations between child and parent. The hardworking pilgrims are shown planting, cutting trees for homes, harvesting, and greeting the Indians. Plenty of animals are included too, from dogs and cats to goats and plump, happy chickens.

The one problem I had with this title is that the author goes a bit overboard with the hardships the pilgrims faced. Geared toward three to eight-year-olds (according to the book jacket), I think it is sufficient to say life was hard. Instead, one page explains, "This is the hearth, soothing the soul, as death and disease take a terrible toll." The picture shows women and children working around the hearth, with an ill-looking man in a bed in the background. I feel this goes a bit too far in a young children's book. Also, be sure to read the historical note at the start so that when "Squanto his name, a keen-eyed Patuxet the plague didn't claim," is read, you will be able to explain to your young audience who the Patuxets were and what happened to them.

Quill says: A bit harsh about the realities of Thanksgiving, but overall a good book to teach children about this holiday.

5.0 out of 5 stars Great lesson about Thanksgiving, December 11, 2008

By	Reader Views "www.readerviews.com" (Austin, Texas) - See all my reviews

Reviewed by Cayden Aures (age 4) and Mom for Reader Views (12/08)

"This is the Feast" is the story of the first Thanksgiving. The book begins with the Pilgrims aboard the Mayflower, struggling, and unsure of what lies ahead. They arrive in America and with the help of the Indians they survive the first year. With their bountiful harvest they hold a three-day celebration, called Thanksgiving.

Cayden: "I learned about Thanksgiving and Pilgrims in school. I didn't like when they were on the big boat with the sails because it stormed and they got sick. I liked when they planted food and the Indians helped them. They had weird things to eat for Thanksgiving though like fish and cheese and lobsters!"

Parent's comments:

Cayden had just learned about Thanksgiving in school so "This is the Feast" was a great tool for reinforcing and building upon what he already knew. The history lesson is presented in a lyrical verse form and the illustrations are excellent at portraying the hardships that the Pilgrims faced. "This is the Feast" by Diane Z. Shore is a great educational reference and one of the best children's books about the Thanksgiving holiday that I have read.