Thanksgiving: A Harvest Celebration

I can appreciate well-illustrated picture books that also educate children. Thanksgiving, A Harvest Celebration is a fine example of how to teach history to kids through storytelling. This is one of those illustrated books that could be read aloud like a story to younger children, but also suitable for a 10 year old reader. The style and difficulty level is about similar to the American Girl books, although a bit shorter. This book tells the story of the Pilgrims' first year in America through the eyes of a fictional girl, Ellen Chilton. We learn about the voyage across the ocean, the establishment of a colony and the bitter hardships that these people faced throughout their first winter. Then we meet the Native Americans through Ellen, get a glimpse of how they taught the colonists valuable survival skills and befriended them. Finally, we witness the celebration at Harvest time, in which the people all came together to feast in gratitude to God for His provision and protection. Thanksgiving, A Harvest Celebration is one of those rare modern kids' Thanksgiving books that doesn't get sappy or cartoony; we see a realistic portrayal of likely historical events, both joyful and sad, although on the other hand we are spared the more gruesome details that would be cause for concern in a children's book. And here's something else you don't see much of nowadays ¡V direct acknowledgement to God as the "reason for the season" so to speak. God was, after all, a big factor in the Pilgrims' decision to come to America in the first place as well as their sustainer throughout. "Thanksgiving" is the name of the harvest feast celebration that was first in God's honor, to *give Him thanks*. Whether or not you're a believer, it is strange to avoid or cover up that simple historical fact, and I'm thankful that this book doesn't try. So if you're looking for a way to teach your children about the original Thanksgiving, I can recommend this book as a great start in that direction. Adults may even learn a thing or two along the way :). -Andrea, aka Merribelle

If you're looking for a book about Thanksgiving that presents the story in a respectful, Christian way, this is it. The main character is fictional, but the rest of the story is fact all the way. Beautiful illustrations give the book a soft, autumn feeling. And the author ties it all to why we celebrate Thanksgiving--not because it's a sweet story about some lucky English people, but because we want to offer our thanks and praise to God for providing for us.