Tuesday Storytime: Thanksgiving

Thanksgiving books are unusually tragic, and really unsuitable as a whole for storytimes for younger kids.  This lack really makes it hard to find a trio that doesn't have something smarmy or treacly, just because that's leagues better than the alternatives.  I wasn't unhappy with my choices here, but I do wish I had more quality to select from.

I Go With My Family to Grandma's
Riki Levinson, illustrated by Diane Goode
ISBN: 9780525442615
Several branches of a big-city family converges on the grandparent's place for a family photo.

An old but sweet book from Levinson, with exceptional old-timey documentary-style artwork by Goode.  A cumulative/repetitive book: each branch of the family has a different color, travels via a different type of conveyance, and comes from a different borough of New York to Grandma Central, where they all meet and mingle before everyone's together for a great big family portrait.  The familiar family get-together balances the utterly unfamiliar cityscapes and transit modes to make it just the right amount of different but understandable.

Thanksgiving Cats
Jean Marzollo, illustrated by Hans Wilhelm
ISBN: 9780606172820
Adorable cats in mid-1990s style "scholastic book art" run through a cutesy rhyme.

Ok, I know this is trite and cutesy, but it was either these cats or one of the dozens of insufferable "Thanks for Thanksgiving" style books where the whole thing is simply a very slightly disguised (or not at all disguised) prayer of thanks.  No thank you.  Cats it is then.  There are Thanksgiving Cats and Thanksgiving Kittens, and the Cats do farming and kitchen work (there are visually-gendered cats doing both farming and kitchen tasks, which I heartily approve) and the Kittens play, perform a simple task, or simply get in the way.  The only weird thing is "apple pie with cheese" which I can't figure out if it's merely inserted to scan the necessary rhyme, or if that's actually a thing.  

Duck for Turkey Day
Jacqueline Jules, illustrated by Kathryn Mitter
ISBN: 9780807517345
Tuyet is disturbed by her family's chosen "Turkey Day" tradition when it doesn't match up.

A lovely book covering cultural differences, adapting traditions to fit your own family needs, and the really intense and often overlooked desires of all children to simply fit in and be "just like teacher" or "just like everyone else."  Tuyet's family maybe could be a bit more understanding and explain things, instead of letting her teacher do all the heavy lifting, but it is what it is.  The schoolroom is purposefully diverse, but it gets the point across neatly.

Tuesday Storytime: Thanksgiving

A couple of old standards, and a new nonfiction Thanksgiving book.


A Short History of Thanksgiving
Sally Lee, consulting editor Gail Saunders-Smith
ISBN: 9781491460979
Nonfiction, primary-source images and photography.

This is a delightful short (very short) intro to the concept of Thanksgiving.  Just right for this pre-school age group of mine, and I'm very glad to have it in the system.  I'll have to check out the other holiday books in this series as well if they're all done as well as this one was.



Thanksgiving Cats
Jean Marzollo, illustrated by Hans Wilhelm
ISBN: 0590037145
Previously reviewed here


Thanks for Thanksgiving
Julie Markes, illustrated by Doris Barrette
ISBN: 9780060510961
Previously reviewed here

Tuesday Storytime: Thanksgiving

I love Thanksgiving storytimes.  There are so many good and interesting Thanksgiving books to hunt through and familiarize myself with, and it's lovely to have them all up on display to tempt patrons to check them out.  However, finding books that suit my particular style and age-group is a little harder, and I've fallen back on a few favorites over the years.  This year is no exception.

A Plump and Perky Turkey

Teresa Bateman, illustrated by Jeff Shelly

ISBN: 0761451889

Cartoonish, crowded spreads and vignettes capture loads of energy, expression, and emotion.

This one is just barely short enough for my kids to handle - it's got some impressive chunks of rhyme in it, and I wonder if the little ones are actually catching the story itself, but no matter if they don't quite get it.  Squawk Valley has not managed to procure any turkeys for their communal Thanksgiving Feast, because the birds have wised up and fled.  Instead of hunkering down to bowls of shredded wheat, the townies decide to lure a bird in by pretending they need a model for a "turkey-themed" art fair.  Pete the clever turkey (a very large part of me deeply wishes that he'd been named Tom) decides he's just the bird for the job, models and preens and eats his fill - then skips out right before dinner.  The ending is a tad quick, and therefore a bit anti-climactic, but it's still a funny take on Thanksgiving turkey shenanigans, without the problematic kidnapping flavor of Eve Bunting's A Turkey for Thanksgiving.

Thanksgiving Cats

Jean Marzollo, illustrated by Hans Wilhelm

ISBN: 0590037145

Soft-edged and soft-colored "vintage" drawings show happy cats prepping and enjoying a rustic feast.

I've used this book three years in a row now, and I am still quite happy with it.  It's short, snappy, the pictures are adorable, and the storyline is easy to follow as we see "Farmer cats" harvesting veggies, fruits, and dairy, and then "Kitchen cats" prepping them all into lovely foods, all the while "farmer kittens" and "kitchen kittens" play around underfoot.  I love that there seems to be a purposeful presentation of both farm and kitchen cats as being both genders.  Adorable, short, and sweet.

Thanks for Thanksgiving

Julie Markes (Good Thing You're Not an Octopus), illustrated by Doris Barrette

ISBN: 9780060510985

Rich saturate colors call to mind Victorian holiday cards, featuring child-focused scenes.

This is another that I've used for several years running, and again, I continue to be quite happy with it.  The length is perfect, the illustrations are lovely and clear, and the language is simple without being cloying or cutesy.  The concept is roughly like a prayer, but the "Thank you" phrasing is non-religious and non-directed.  Each spread offers thanks for a situation or scene that is relevant and understandable to a child; "Thank you for play dates, for swings and for slides" and "Thank you for Mommy, and warm, cozy cuddles." A perfect ending for storytime, and a nice contemplative and gratitude-filled read.