This First Thanksgiving Day: A Counting Story

by Laura Krauss Melmed, Mark Buehner (Illustrator)

Overview

Countdown to Thanksgiving!

This beautiful picture book counting story celebrates the very first Thanksgiving Day with vibrant illustrations and lively verse.

Follow the Pilgrim and Wampanoag friends as they prepare for a great feast, and along the way look for the bold turkey on every page. And for the very sharp of eye, there are all sorts of surprises hidden in the art!

"A refreshing look at an American tradition that reinforces the spirit of the holiday." (Kirkus)

"A super read-aloud." (School Library Journal)

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780060541842
Publisher:	HarperCollins
Publication date:	09/02/2003
Pages:	32
Sales rank:	301,568
Product dimensions:	8.50(w) x 11.00(h) x 0.00(d)
Age Range:	4 - 8 Years

About the Author

Laura Krauss Melmed is author of Capital! Washington D.C. from A to Z and New York, New York! The Big Apple from A to Z, also illustrated by Frané Lessac; I Love You As Much . . . , illustrated by Henri Sorensen; and the critically acclaimed The Rainbabies, illustrated by Jim LaMarche. She lives with her husband in Washington, D.C.

Marl Buehner has six little pilgrims of his own in Salt Lake City, Utah, where he lives with his wife, Caralyn, and their children: Heidi, Grant, Sarah, Samuel, Laura, and Jake. Mark has illustrated many wonderful children's books, including I Am the Cat by Alice Schertle and Harvy Potter's Balloon Farm by Jerdine Nolen.

Editorial Reviews

A refreshing look at an American tradition that reinforces the spirit of the holiday.” — Kirkus Review

“Gaggles of round-faced children, some in Pilgrim outfits and others in deerskins, fill this rhymed counting tale.” — ALA Booklist

“Lots of smiles and counting practice result in a super read-aloud.” — School Library Journal

From the Publisher

Gaggles of round-faced children, some in Pilgrim outfits and others in deerskins, fill this rhymed counting tale.

ALA Booklist

In Melmed's (The Rainbabies) counting book, one Pilgrim boy "sit[s] in a tree,/ dreaming of the tall, strong ship/ on which he crossed the sea"; on the opposite page, two girls "dressed in deerskin,/ gathering nuts below,/ [giggle] as they tiptoe by,/ too shy to say hello." Although a passing reference to Squanto suggests collaboration, the Pilgrims and the Wampanoag remain segregated until the final scene. Buehner (It's a Spoon, Not a Shovel) captures the beauty of autumnal skies and oceanside landscapes, but the uninitiated may be confused about how these two groups came to share the Thanksgiving table. Ages 3-8. (Sept.) Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information.

Publishers Weekly

K-Gr 2-Through a simple, rhyming text of 12 short poems, young readers will experience 10 Wampanoag and 10 Pilgrim friends getting ready for the first harvest feast in the New World. Similar in scope and theme, and a great complement to B. G. Hennessy's One Little, Two Little, Three Little Pilgrims (Viking, 2001; o.p.), this title adds the enjoyment of hidden pictures on each page. There is a turkey to find in each colorful spread and lots of small creatures to count. The feast scene has at least 10 critters, maybe more, frolicking, even making off with food. Lots of smiles and counting practice result in a super read-aloud.-Pamela K. Bomboy, Chesterfield County Public Schools, VA Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information.

School Library Journal