Thanksgiving Books for Teachers, Parents, and Grandparents

 

 

 

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We often think of American Indians during the Thanksgiving season and the meal eaten with the Plymouth Pilgrims. We don’t know for sure how much of the story is documented history and how much is folklore but we can be certain of the noble cultural heritage received from the indigenous Native American peoples. Descendants of the Wampanoag tribe consistently preserve their oral traditions by describing a peaceful shared meal-- with the Indians bringing much of the food from their own harvest.

 Hungry Johnny written by Cheryl Minnema and illustrated by Wesley Ballinger is most likely set in the great northwestern region of the United States. Both author and illustrator for Hungry Johnny are members of the Millie Lacs Band of Ojibwe American Indian tribe of located in Minnesota.  In addition to being a writer, Ms. Minnema is a skilled craftswoman creating beautiful beaded jewelry and accessories. Mr. Ballinger is both artist and specialist in the Ojibwe language.

Johnny comes home hungry with the smell of delicious soup on the stove. There are also sweet rolls and fresh fruit. His Grandma reminds him the food is for the community shared meal and he must wait to eat. Minutes and hours go by as Johnny’s hungry stomach growls. While seated in the community center Johnny listens as one of the elders speaks a very very long prayer. Still Johnny must wait as his Grandma reminds him the elders must eat first. Out of respect, they are invited to fill their plates before the children and young adults. Johnny learns three very important lessons—to be patient, to be courteous to elders, and how delicious are the sweet rolls just pulled from the oven! His patience was rewarded.

Hungry Johnny by Cheryl Minnema, illustrated by Wesley Ballinger, published by the Minnesota Historical Society, 2014.

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Do you ever wonder how turkeys celebrate Thanksgiving?  Do they play games, watch football, and eat….well ….do you ever wonder? The Best Thanksgiving Ever is a tale of Thanksgiving with a bird’s eye view. Teddy Slater tells a lively tale of how the turkeys spend their day of gratitude!  Illustrator Ethan Long paints lively pictures with fall-of-the-year colors. Browns, dark green, orange, and grey bring the characters to life in a festive holiday season. This is a great read aloud for the children visiting relatives for the day, or a perfect book for the teachers to share on the last school day before the holiday vacation. I won’t give away the ending of this book. It too much fun to read through the suspense to find out just what a turkey family’s meal looks like on Thanksgiving Day.

 

 

The Best Thanksgiving Ever! By Teddy Slater, illustrated by Ethan Long. Scholastic, New York, 2005. 

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Like many book authors, Gail Gibbons lives in a secluded rural area in northeastern region of the U.S. These beautiful settings must be a great inspiration for authors like Ms. Gibbons whose illustrations are vibrant, rich, and fill the reader’s imagination for what the story is all about. Thanksgiving Is… describes, for younger children, the annual holiday for gratitude. She begins with history of celebrations from long ago. Young children do not always understand the meaning of events, times, and places from centuries past, but Ms. Gibbons provides simple explanations and illustrations that come to life for the reader. Children and adults form a new and beautiful mental picture of harvest, worship, and feasts. Her simple re-telling of the first Thanksgiving is based on factual information preserved by descendants of the “Indians” and the Pilgrims first Thanksgiving in the fall of 1621. This historical, informational, book culminates with paintings and written descriptions of Thanksgiving for today’s family gatherings, or at least the celebrations we all wish for every November.

Thanksgiving Is… by Gail Gibbons. Holiday House, New York, 2004.