Happy Thanksgiving!

Wishing that you have many things for which to be thankful for this Thanksgiving. 

Enjoy these late 19th and early 20th century images from the Library of Congress.

Uncle Sam's Thanksgiving Dinner / Thomas Nast, 1869

 

 

Thanksgiving turkey, circa 1910

 

 Want to see more images of early Thanksgiving photos, documents, and articles?  Start with the Library of Congress' digitized collection. [https://www.loc.gov/photos/?q=thanksgiving]  The Library of Congress has a vast collection of online resources on a wide variety of subjects.  Visit your national library online at hhttp://loc.gov or in person next time you're in Washington, D.C.

Happy Thanksgiving - NJ edition

In spite of Hurricane Sandy, I have much to be thankful for. 

 I am thankful for the kindness of my family, friends, co-workers, library patrons, the library community at large, and even strangers.  

Wishing you a joyful and restful Thanksgiving. 

I'll leave you with some photos of New Jersey's cranberry bogs,    

Double Trouble cranberry bog
By Jennifer H. Kertis (Flickr) [CC-BY-SA-2.0
(http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0)], via Wikimedia Commons

Richard Tevor, 8 years old. 5 years picking cranberries. Theodore Budd's Bog at Turkeytown, N.J.
This is the fourth week of school in Philadelphia and the people will stay here two weeks more.
(1912-1913)
By Lewis Hine (1874-1940)U.S. National Archives and Records Administration

and some cranberry trivia for kids.

Thanksgiving books for storytime

Thanksgiving is a wonderful (mostly) non-commercial holiday that we can all enjoy regardless of our ethnic and religious backgrounds. Following are some of my Thanksgiving favorites for sharing:



Anderson, Laurie Halse. 2002. Thank You, Sarah: The Woman Who Saved Thanksgiving. New York: Simon and Schuster.

The fascinating true story of the woman who convinced the President Lincoln (the 5th president she petitioned!) to make Thanksgiving a national holiday - a quest on which she spent 38 years!  Written in a witty and engaging style, this one's a pleasure to share with older kids. This story never gets old.

Arnosky, Jim. 2009. I'm a Turkey. New York: Scholastic. (click for review)

A singing look at the natural world of turkeys.  Not a Thanksgiving book, but timely (and fun!), nonetheless.

Mayr, Diane. 2007. Run, Turkey, Run!
A cumulative tale (reminiscent of We're Going on a Bear Hunt) of a turkey on the run.  For the faint of heart, you can even end the book at the point where the family sits down to enjoy a Thanksgiving dinner of grilled cheese while the turkey rejoices (and skip the final page when the turkey is spotted again when the family goes out to find a Christmas tree!).  Either way, it's a winner.


Anderson, Derek. 2005. Over the River: A Turkey's Tale. New York: Simon and Schuster. (Based on the song by Lydia Maria Child)
If you want to keep old songs alive, you've got to sing them - and children are the best audience.  They love to sing, they love you to sing with them, and they don't mind if you don't do it well! (I love kids for that)  Break out your singing voice and give "Over the River and Through the Woods" a go while you page through the delightful illustrations of this Thanksgiving classic.

Markes, Julie. 2004. Thanks for Thanksgiving. New York: Harper Collins.

This book's simple rhymes (one line per page)   

Thanks for Thanksgiving, for turkey and pie.

Thank you for fall and gold leaves floating by.

and warm illustrations make it perfect for sharing with your youngest listeners. (the "you" in thank you is left undefined and readers may draw from it what they wish)

Ruddell, Deborah. 2009. A whiff of pine, a hint of skunk: A forest of poems. (Ill. by Joan Rankin). New York: Margaret K. McElderry Books.


And if you're planning to have children create the classic hand print turkey this year, it simply begs for a reading of "A Wild Turkey Comments on his Portrait," from A Whiff of Pine, a Hint of Skunk: A Forest of Poems, if not for the kids, then read it for yourself!

I find it most insulting
that you traced around your hand
and colored all my feathers
either plain old brown or tan.

Where's the copper? Where's the gold
that a turkey should expect?
Where on earth is raw sienna,
and where is the respect?

Finally, I'm baffled
that you've made me look so dumb.
My head is quite distinguished
and it's nothing like your thumb.

The rest of the collection is great as well! Don't miss this one.


Finally, If you're thinking of choosing a book that tells the "traditional" "Thanksgiving story," check out the resources at Oyate first.  Oyate, a Native organization that works to promote honest depictions of Native history and stories, offers Recommended Books about Thanksgiving  and a guide, How to Tell the Difference. I'm thankful that they have decided to discontinue their page on "Books to Avoid."  A list of suggested books is more helpful and affirming than a list of offensive ones.  In the future, I hope that more culturally-correct, Thanksgiving inspired titles are written for preschoolers. In the meantime, I'll be sharing the ones above.

And that's Thanksgiving in a pie shell.  Enjoy!
Share |

All of Me! A book of thanks.

Bang, Molly. 2009. All of me! A book of thanks. New York: Blue Sky Press.


All of Me! A book of thanks, is a joyful book that fits many needs. It is foremost, a child's book of thankfulness for his body,

"What grand hands! Thank you, hands, for gripping and throwing and patting and holding. And for hugging,"

his world,

"I listen with my ... ears. Outside I hear cars rumbling. I hear music playing. I hear honking, singing, barking, and laughing,"

and his place in the world,

"All this is my home. I am ALIVE."

The illustrations are a large and colorful mix of collage art, paint and crayons. The endpapers include directions for children to create their own books. In "Books are Fun to Make," author-illustrator Molly Bang, tells children how she made the book using paper bags, cloth and paper, crayons (!!), paints, paintbrushes and water. She includes simple directions and illustrations. Perfect for a budding artist!

Finally, All of Me! A Book of Thanks is perfect choice for Thanksgiving storytime (reminding us that we have more to be thankful for than a full plate) and for showcasing multiculturalism. The child is has biracial parents and lives in a vibrant and diverse neighborhood.

A simple book with a positive message.