Thanksgiving Day (Trophy Picture Books)

After Charlie's teacher reads a story about the Pilgrims' first Thanksgiving, the class decides to act it out. Charlie is the Mayflower. Opposite a picture of Charlie decked out in a paper ship is the "page" from the book his teacher read, showing the Mayflower on a churning ocean. Everyone has a role: Pablo, Kate, and Evan are Wampanoags, the people who were already on the land when the Pilgrims arrived. Michiko, Sam, and Sarah are Pilgrims from England. On each two-page spread the children are shown in their costumes opposite a picture from the teacher's book. In a preschooler's simple, straightforward voice, one young Wampanoag says she is thankful that "her new neighbors were peaceful Pilgrims looking for a new land to live in, and not mean people looking for someone to fight with." A small Pilgrim adds her thanks that "the beautiful land of Massachusetts had enough good things for everyone." There's no room for cynicism in this genuinely warm, honest book about a time that, for a while anyway, was peaceful, with people who were capable of friendly coexistence. As in companion books Halloween Day and Show & Tell Day, Anne and Lizzy Rockwell make a special day fun and understandable for the youngest celebrants. (Ages 4 to 7) --Emilie Coulter