Thanksgiving – Sneak Peek Books

Thanksgiving on Thursday

With each step, orange leaves crunch, and the smell of roasted turkey seeps into the living room. Paper-hand turkeys cover the fridge and the taste of pumpkin pie warms the heart. There are so many amazing traditions that come with Thanksgiving. Now, where did these traditions come from? Jack and Annie travel to Plymouth in 1621 to experience the first Thanksgiving and find out.

When Jack and Annie arrive, they are dressed in outfits that look just like the other settlers. Annie wears a long dress with an apron and Jack wears trousers with stockings. They silently try to make their way to the village, but Jack gets caught in a trap. With all the commotion, the settlers and Squanto, a member of the Wampanoag tribe, spot the siblings.

Jack and Annie are interesting and likable characters. Jack’s fearsome nature compliments Annie’s brave and headstrong attitude. This is shown even more with the black and white illustrations. For example, when Jack grabs an eel, his facial expression shows his fear. The siblings both use words like “sure” and “oh brother!” which gives them more personality.

When reading Thanksgiving on Thursday, children will learn about the Pilgrims’ journey on the Mayflower as well as how Squanto and other Native Americans helped the Pilgrims survive. The author incorporates facts about the first Thanksgiving into a fun adventure. For example, “Squanto showed the Pilgrims a way to catch eels. He showed them how to push the eels out of the wet sand with their bare feet, then grab them with their hands.”

While much of the story is fictional, the book includes historical figures like Squanto and Priscilla. Priscilla is one of the most notable Pilgrims from the Mayflower and she becomes a guide for Jack and Annie’s adventure. Squanto was also helpful to the kids. He taught them that, although someone may look different or come from a different place, they should still be treated kindly. Squanto not only tells them this but shows by example. Although Squanto does not know who Jack and Annie are or where they truly came from, he still welcomes them to the feast.

Proficient readers who are ready for chapter books will enjoy Thanksgiving on Thursday’s fast-paced plot. There is large text and black-and-white illustrations every two to seven pages, which makes the story accessible to young readers. The large, detailed illustrations also help to bring the characters to life. In addition, readers will see the characters in action, such as when Jack drops the turkey. Even though Thanksgiving on Thursday is part of a series, the books do not need to be read in order. However, readers will enjoy discovering the other quests that Jack and Annie go on.

Follow Jack and Annie on an exciting adventure in 1621 while they experience the first Thanksgiving. After reading Thanksgiving on Thursday, readers will be ready for pumpkin pie, but, most importantly, they will learn why Thanksgiving is monumental. Readers who want to learn more about Thanksgiving can read the following non-fiction books: The Magic Tree House Fact Tracker: Pilgrims by Mary Pope Osborne and What W as the First Thanksgiving? by Joan Holub.

Sexual Content 

None

Violence 

There is mention of the family and friends who traveled on the Mayflower and died from disease and were “cold and hungry.”

Drugs and Alcohol 

Squanto smokes a pipe with the other men.

Language 

When Jack makes a mistake, Priscilla laughs. He blushes and thinks, “Priscilla must think I’m an idiot.”

Supernatural

Jack and Annie have a magic tree house that allows them to travel to the past.

Spiritual Content 

Pilgrims wanted to travel to America because “the people on board [the Mayflower] wanted freedom of religion. They wanted to worship God in their own way– not the way the king of England made them.”
Children are important to the settlers because “children are a gift from God.”
Priscilla explains the awful winter the people had faced due to the harsh weather. She says, “And now, God be praised, we had a good harvest, and we have peace with our neighbors.”

Pilgrims

After Jack and Annie’s feast in Magic Tree House #27: Thanksgiving on Thursday, the pair was still hungry for more information about the Pilgrims’ history. When they go to the library to research, they are flooded with stories, illustrations, and facts that help them better understand life in the 1600s. Pilgrims gives readers more information about the history by introducing readers to historical figures such as William Bradford, the governor who led the Pilgrims, along with familiar faces like Squanto and Priscilla Alden. By reading Pilgrims, readers can follow Jack and Annie as they find the deeper meaning of Thanksgiving.

The non-fiction story follows the Pilgrims and the Wampanoag tribe from the first meeting to the first Thanksgiving feast. There are many connections between Pilgrims and Thanksgiving on Thursday. For example, in Thanksgiving on Thursday Jack and Annie learn how Squanto helped the Pilgrims grow crops by using rotting fish. Pilgrims goes into more detail about this as well as the other actions Squanto did to help them. On the other hand, Squanto lies about the Pilgrims to create tension which causes the two groups’ problems.

The first couple of chapters explain the impact religion had on the people leaving England as well as their many months on the Mayflower. Black-and-white illustrations appear on almost every page and include historical people and places as well as props to reenact scenes and show examples. One of the illustrations gives an inside look at the Mayflower, which helps the reader better understand the close quarters the Pilgrims lived in for months. Illustrations also show the clothing that both the Native Americans and Pilgrims wore. Along with the illustrations, there are many pictures of historical people.

Pilgrims is packed with information that is easily digestible for young readers. There are many tools to help a young audience follow along. For example, each chapter is broken into small sections that give historical information. Plus, the illustrations break up text into much smaller pieces and some pages only have an image. The tribe’s name, Wampanoag, is explained. “Today we know them as the Wampanoag (wahm-puh-NO-ag) Nation. This means ‘People of the First Light’ or ‘People of the East.’ They were hunters, gatherers, farmers, and fishermen.” Also, complicated words like “Patuxet”, and “moccasins” are sounded out, (puh-TUX-it) and (MOCK-uh-sinz), and explained to expand vocabulary. Readers will find it interesting to learn the difference between the original Thanksgiving meal versus today’s Thanksgiving meal, and they will find humor in the faces Jack makes when he tries the unsweetened cranberry sauce.

Pilgrims presents nonfiction information in a way that will engage young readers. Adults can use Pilgrims as a conversation starter because the Pilgrims’ journey was not only the start of a holiday with delicious food but also the start of a nation. The book is perfect for readers who are interested in doing research because the author includes the best way to research Pilgrims as well as more resources such as books, videos, and museums. Pilgrims is packed full of historical information that is fun to read. Whether it is for research or for fun, reading Pilgrims will delight those who love Thanksgiving. Readers who are interested in learning more about the Pilgrims’ journey should also read The Voyage of the Mayflower by Allison Lassieur. Those who are ready to jump into another imaginative story based on the Mayflower should add Mayflower Treasure Hunt by Ron Roy to their must-read list.

Sexual Content 

None

Violence 

A section of the book is titled “Cruel Treatment” which describes some ways the Pilgrims and native people treated each other. “Sometimes the strangers [Pilgrims] treated the Native People badly. They shot at them without reason. They stole their corn and furs. Sometimes they even captured them and sold them into slavery.” There is also non-physical cruelty explained too. “Too often, Native People died from diseases the newcomers brought…Their bodies had no way to fight the new infections. Whole villages were wiped out. Later more settlers arrive. They forced the Native People from their lands. Farms and towns grew where native villages once stood.”

Drugs and Alcohol 

None

Language 

None

Supernatural

None

Spiritual Content 

The term “Separatists” is explained and sometimes used to describe the individuals who “separated for the Church of England.” This group took the trip on the Mayflower because they wanted the freedom of religion and “the Separatists wanted to worship their own way.”

The Mayflower Compact explains how the Pilgrims governed themselves during their time on the Mayflower. The compact said, “The people were united in their belief in God.”
Once the Mayflower reached land, the individuals on board “felt their prayers had been answered. They fell to their knees and gave thanks.”
After Squanto helps the pilgrims, “they were so grateful to him, they called him ‘an instrument of God.’”
The first Thanksgiving is described as, “a harvest festival. The 50 surviving Pilgrims met to praise God for their good fortune.”
A section is titled “Church” and explains that many of the Pilgrims came on the Mayflower to “worship as they wished.” Also, it is revealed there was no physical Church, only a room, and Sunday was a day no one worked or played but rested.

What Was the First Thanksgiving?

After their first harvest in 1621, the Pilgrims at Plymouth shared a three-day feast with their Native American neighbors. Of course, the Pilgrims and the Wampanoag didn’t know it at the time, but they were making history. However, before that first Thanksgiving, the Pilgrims first had to travel to the New World and set up their colony.

What Was the First Thanksgiving? begins with the reasons the Pilgrims left England and the difficult task of settling an untamed land. From the start, the Pilgrims had a rocky relationship with the Native Americans. But without the Native Americans’ help, the Pilgrims would most likely have perished. The book explores the complicated history between the Wampanoags and the Pilgrims.

What Was the First Thanksgiving? will pull readers in with its fun format which has large, black and white illustrations on every page. The book uses large font, short chapters, and easy vocabulary that makes the book easy to read. Plus, each event is explained fully and broken into smaller sections, so readers will not get confused.

To give readers a better understanding of the time period, the book includes sections with additional information about the people and the times. Plus, there are 16 pages of historical artwork depicting the Wampanoags, the Pilgrims, the Mayflower, and more. Topics cover everything from the Wampanoag, Squanto, and other historical people. The end of the book also includes a timeline.

Even though the book focuses on the Pilgrims, it doesn’t portray them as if they were perfect people. Instead, the book explores how the Pilgrims took advantage of the Wampanoag people. For example, when they first arrived in Massachusetts, the Pilgrims “stole some corn. This meant that the Native Americans who’d harvested it would not have the corn for themselves. They might go hungry.” Despite this, for a brief time the Pilgrims and the Wampanoag people came together to “rejoice together after we had gathered the fruits of our labors.”

Anyone interested in the Pilgrims should read What Was the First Thanksgiving? because it gives insight into the difficulties that the Pilgrims faced. Plus, it explains how Thanksgiving became a national holiday. Most people probably do not realize that without Sarah Hale, an author and editor for a magazine, Thanksgiving would never have become an important American tradition.

What Was the First Thanksgiving? educates readers through interesting facts that are presented in an appealing format. The book is perfect for readers who need to research Thanksgiving and the Pilgrims. The back of the book also includes a bibliography with additional resources for readers who want to learn even more. Readers eager to read more about the Pilgrims should add The Mayflower by Kate Messner and A Journey to the New World: The Diary of Remember Patience Whipple by Kathryn Lasky to their must-read list.

Sexual Content 

None

Violence 

When the colonists began taking over the Algonquian’s land, the “tribe began attacking the settlers. In the winter of 1610, they surrounded the colony. Trapped, the colonists were soon starving. Only sixty settlers survived.”
When they first got to Massachusetts, the Pilgrims stole the native people’s corn. “Native Americans attacked. They yelled war cries and shot arrows at the Pilgrims, who fired their muskets.” No one was injured.

Drugs and Alcohol 

None

Language 

None

Supernatural

None

Spiritual Content 

The Puritans did not want to be part of the Church of England because they believed “the Bible was the law in religion.”
When the Mayflower reached Massachusetts, the Pilgrims “said prayers of thanks.”
The Pilgrims believed that the “Native Americans were savages because they lived in a different way. The Pilgrims believed they were special, and that God wanted them to claim the land in America for their own.”
The Wampanoag had their own religion. “They believed there were spirits in the rivers and forest around them.”

The Wampanoag leader tried to drive the white people away, so “he led attacks against English settlements all around New England. The English settlers attacked the Wampanoag in return. . . Many were killed on both sides.”

Mayflower Treasure Hunt

The Hunt is on! Dink, Josh, and Ruth Rose are spending Thanksgiving in Plymouth, Massachusetts. They can’t wait to see the sights and have a Thanksgiving dinner just like the Pilgrims would have eaten. Then the kids learn about a sapphire necklace that went missing on the real Mayflower. Could the 400-year-old treasure be hidden somewhere nearby? And will someone else find it before they do?

Mystery lovers will learn history as they follow Dink, Josh, and Ruth Rose through the streets of Massachusetts. The three kids’ journey focuses on historical places connected to the Mayflower. The simple plot is fast-paced and contains enough suspense and mystery to keep readers interested. While the three friends do not follow a trail of clues, they use historical information to help solve the case. In addition, when the kids find the necklace, they never consider keeping it for themselves. Instead, they donate the necklace to the local museum.

Mayflower Treasure Hunt’s short chapters and black and white illustrations make the story accessible to readers. Large illustrations appear every 2 to 4 pages. Many of the illustrations are one page and help readers understand the plot. Plus, readers can hunt through the pictures to find a hidden message.

One negative aspect of the story, is that when Dirk believes someone is following him and his friends, they do not seek out adult help. Instead, they try to hide from the person and end up in a situation that could have been dangerous. Parents may want to discuss the importance of seeking an adult if they feel they are in danger.

Mayflower Treasure Hunt will get a peek into the Pilgrims’ world. For instance, readers will be surprised to learn that the Pilgrims had a village jail. “Being lazy, not sharing, not attending church” were all crimes. Stealing a pig or a hen were also jail-worthy crimes. Mystery-loving readers will enjoy the adventurous story. The A to Z Mysteries Series will hook chapter book readers. Plus, the series has over 26 books to keep readers entertained.

Sexual Content

None

Violence

One of the Pilgrims “was in jail in England before the crossing. Oh, he was a mean ‘um. Mudgett used to kick the dogs and the children if they got in his way.”

Drugs and Alcohol

None

Language

Heck is used once.

Supernatural

None

Spiritual Content

None

‘Twas the Night Before Thanksgiving

The day before Thanksgiving, students go on a field trip to a “miniature farm.” Farmer Mac Nuggett shows the kids his “eight tiny turkeys.” The kids play and hug the turkeys “and they gobbled and giggled / As friends sometimes do.” One of the children finds an ax, and Farmer Nuggett explains that the turkeys will be “chopped up and roasted / For Thanksgiving feast.” When the children hear this, they begin to cry. When the teacher and Farmer Nuggett go to fetch some water, the kids hide the turkeys under their shirts. When the kids and the turkeys are safely home, “They feasted on veggies / with jelly and toast, / And everyone was thankful / (The turkeys were most!).

Using a similar format as ‘Twas the Night Before Christmas, Pilkey tells an odd tale about the day before Thanksgiving. While the full page illustrations use cartoonish illustrations, the end of the poem takes on a grim tone. When Farmer Nuggett shows the kids his ax, he has a creepy smile on his face. Both the kids and the turkeys are clearly distressed by the thought of the turkeys becoming Thanksgiving dinner. Instead of being humorous, younger readers may find the story distressing.

Unfortunately, ‘Twas the Night Before Thanksgiving does not have any of the charm as ‘Twas the Night Before Christmas. The author also adds in bits of other fairytales, which breaks up the story’s flow. Each page has 2-8 short lines; however, the rhyming is inconsistent. Even though the story has a happy ending, it doesn’t focus on being thankful for all the good in life.

The picture book is intended to be read aloud to a child, rather than for a child to read it for the first time independently. Readers who are looking for a good holiday story should skip ‘Twas the Night Before Thanksgiving.

Sexual Content

None

Violence

The students go to a farm and one of the kids “spotted / An ax by the door, / And she asked Farmer Nuggett / what it was for. . . The old farmer told / A grim tale of dread. . . These feather beast / Will be chopped up and roasted / For Thanksgiving feast.” To save the turkeys from being killed, the kids birdnap them.

Drugs and Alcohol

None

Language

None

Supernatural

None

Spiritual Content

None

Give Thanks to the Lord

This joyous celebration of Thanksgiving references Psalm 92. Told from the point of view of one young member of an extended family, Give Thanks to the Lord celebrates joy of all kind – from the arrival of distant relatives to a cozy house already filled with merriment, to apple cider and the delicious smells of roasting turkey and baking pies. And just when your mouth is watering, sit down and join a thankful child in prayer, praising God for, “Food and fun and family, all the wonderful things I see.”

Fall comes alive in the full-page illustrations that use fall colors. Each picture focuses on a little boy who is surrounded by a large family. Most pictures also include the boy’s dog, who is also enjoying Thanksgiving day. Give Thanks to the Lord shows the joys of simple things—a cup of hot chocolate, playing in the fallen leaves, and having enough olives for each one of your fingers.

Each page has four to five rhyming sentences that focus on the joys of Thanksgiving. The story repeats the phrase, “It’s good to give thanks to the Lord!” Even though Give Thanks to the Lord is a picture book, the story is intended to be read aloud to a child, rather than for a child to read it for the first time independently. The story focuses on one family’s traditional Thanksgiving day and reminds the reader to give thanks to the Lord for the food, family, and fun that Thanksgiving day brings.

Sexual Content