The First Thanksgiving (Picture Puffin Books) - Softcover

George, Jean Craighead

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0698113926 ISBN 13: 9780698113923

Publisher: Puffin Books, 2001

Synopsis

The Pilgrims called the celebration the Harvest Feast. The Pawtuxet Indians thought of it as the Green Corn Dance. But the first Thanksgiving was much more than that.

Join Newbery Medalist Jean Craighead George and beloved illustrator Thomas Locker as they trace the passage of time from the melting of the glaciers that created Cape Cod and Plymouth Rock, to the moment the Pawtuxet Indians and the Pilgrims met and feasted on the bounty of the New World.

From the simple text to the lush illustrations, the story of a harvest feast turned beloved tradition will captivate readers young and old.

“Correcting misconceptions and clarifying contemporary attitudes, this beautiful book brings fresh insight and a fairer balance to the traditional story.”—Kirkus Reviews

About this title

About the Author

Jean Craighead George (1919–2012) was the author of more than 100 beloved books for young people, including the Newbery Medal–winning Julie of the Wolves and the Newbery Honor–winning My Side of the Mountain. She was a lifetime naturalist and was beloved by generations of nature-loving children. Two of her children, Craig and Twig, helped complete her last novel.

Thomas Locker has written and illustrated many award-winning books for children, including the companion titles Water Dance and Mountain Dance. He lives in Stuyvesant, New York.

From School Library Journal

Grade 2-5-- George's consummate skill as a storyteller takes what could have been "just another" Thanksgiving book and raises it above the mundane. Beginning "in a time so long ago that only the rocks remember," she focuses on Plymouth Rock, a 200-ton boulder of Dedham granite, as the loom upon which to weave the heroic and tragic tales of the people who settled this land. The storytelling is direct, filled with details, and firmly grounded in place and time. Quickly drawn but very effective portraits of the times and the people heighten the presentation. Squanto's tragedy is movingly sketched. Readers will not miss the ironic contrast between the fate of the native population and those who came seeking a freer, more tolerant life, but George does not belabor the point, letting the events of history subtly underscore the irony. Locker is at his best with panoramic landscapes--the icy desolation of the melting glaciers; the storm-tossed ship on the ocean voyage; and the isolation of the place where the Pilgrims must bury their dead under cover of darkness, lest the "savages" know how many of them died. For all their attractiveness, however, the illustrations fail to match George's strong narrative with equal visual strength. The panoramic view distances readers from the events, softening the impact of the physical hardships and emotional pain inherent in the story. Whatever its minor flaws, though, this is a book most libraries will want to add to their collections. --Linda Boyles, Alachua County Library District, Gainesville, FL
Copyright 1993 Reed Business Information, Inc.

About this edition

• Publisher: Puffin Books
• Publication date: 2001
• ISBN 10: 0698113926
• ISBN 13: 9780698113923
• Binding: Paperback
• Edition number: 3
• Number of pages: 32
• Illustrator: Locker Thomas