Jun 182013
The Pilgrims’ First Thanksgiving
- book softcover
The Pilgrims’ first Thanksgiving lasted three whole days. Ann McGovern’s simple text introduces children to the struggles of the Pilgrims during their first year at Plymouth Colony and the events leading to the historic occasion we celebrate today.
List Price: $ 5.99
Price: $ 0.89
Carved Thanksgiving Pumpkin Set – Decorative Accessories
Carved Thanksgiving Pumpkin Set. Featuring embossed metal leaves and curly wire vines, our ripe resin pumpkins are carved with Thanksgiving phrases: Be Joyful, Give Thanks and Be Thankful. Add these pumpkins to your fall decorations for a festive home accent. Set of three. 5 – 6H. Exclusive. Details: Thanksgiving, Fall, Faith, Pumpkins, Religious
List Price: $ 21.99
Price: $ 21.99
A Review of “The Pilgrims First Thanksgiving” by Ann McGovern,
My children are 3 and 5 at this time (boy and girl) and I have been having a hard time finding a good age appropriate book about Thanksgiving.
When they were younger I used “The Story of Thanksgiving” boardbook by Nancy J. Skarmeas. A book that is pretty much on target for the toddler and early preschool crowd. But what to do now?
I looked at several books and none seemed to be appropriate. They were either too cynical, or too babyish. This book however pretty much fits the bill. The text talks in terms that preschoolers and kindergarteners understand. And it talks about hardship but isn’t too graphic. An example of text follows.
The Mayflower was a big as two trucks.
But it was not big enough.
The Pilgrims and sailors crowded together to sleep.
They crowded together to eat.
The children had no room to run around.
They had no toys.
They had to leave most things behind.
These are details which my children could relate to.
Five Stars. We ran across the older version illustrated by Joe Lasker, and while the new artwork by Ekroy Freem looks really good (and is the one that’s available now on Amazon) I wouldn’t worry if you wanted to get the older version either.
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|A Thanksgiving Classic Updated With New Illustrations!,
The previous edition of this book, published in 1973, has been a favorite introduction to the Pilgrims for primary students in our school for many years. Written at about a third grade reading level, it works as a readable chapter book, as well as a quick read-aloud. The black, white and turquoise drawings in the older version were adequate, but the text always deserved more detailed and interesting illustrations. While I have not see this new edition, it appears that this situation has now been remedied.
My students have always taken an interest in the kid’s perspective of life aboard the Mayflower and during the first year at Plymouth. They love to know that the Pilgrims took two dogs and a cat with them. They wonder about the “same old salted beef and fish” that had to be eaten. They plug their noses when they think about the Pilgrims wearing “the same clothes every day,” even sleeping in them.
They marvel at the straw roofs of the new homes being set on fire by sparks that flew up the chimney. They are stunned to learn that good manners meant children had to stand during meals, and that they could only speak when spoken to by an adult. Then my students smack their lips at the many foods that were eaten at the first Thanksgiving: wild turkeys, geese, ducks, deer, lobsters, clams, oysters and fish, not to mention the many vegetables, and of course, popcorn.
I look forward to adding the new edition of this classic to our library collection.
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|A great introduction to a child’s Thanksgiving,
Like other reviewers, I also think that this is an appropriate book for children around the theme of Thanksgiving. The book looks at the lives of the children: their hardships, their work, their wonder.
Squanto shows up on page 29, seventeen pages after the Pilgrims disembark from the Mayflower onto an uninhabited land. Squanto eventually shows up and teaches the Pilgrims how to hunt for game, forage for edible and medicinal plants, and plant corn (31). He is a storyteller and is the center of the children’s attention (32). Other “friendly Indians who lived nearby” show up at the end of the book to help the children find nuts and wild fruit (41). Of course, ninety Indians show up at the three-day feast of Thanksgiving: “There were more Indians than Pilgrims” (46).
This is a good book to begin looking at issues around the “mythological history” of the United States. What happened to Squanto and the tribes that the Pilgrims first encountered? Are Native Americans of today thankful for the same reasons that most white Americans are? This book could be the start of some real and wonderful discussion concerning our nations’ histories and the real meaning of thanks.
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|I am disappointed.,
I`m usually pleased with all my purchases but was disappointed with this one. I thought it would be much nicer but I thought it looked cheap.
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|Perfect table or mantel decoration,
This combination of three pottery pumpkins, each with a distinct, positive reminder (e.g., “Be thankful!”) looks great as a dining room centerpiece of a decoration for the fireplace mantel. The quality is what I expected. I’ll be storing these away when I bring out winter holiday decorations, but will look forward to bringing them out again next fall.
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