Thanksgiving Is Here!

Diane Goode remains one of my favorite children's book illustrators.  My grandmother first introduced me to her one Christmas by giving me Pinocchio, and now my children enjoy that time-worn copy.  Goode's illustrations are filled with whimsy, humor, and life.

If you haven't read Thanksgiving Is Here!, you must check out a copy before everyone else grabs them up! 

Just like Tasha Tudor's Pumpkin Moonshine is my favorite pumpkin story, Goode's Thanksgiving Is Here! is my favorite Thanksgiving story.  She faithfully captures the commotion of family and friends reuniting at Grandma and Grandpa's Thanksgiving table.  It seems that Goode catalogues my personal Thanksgiving memories: Grandma's early rush into the kitchen to put the turkey in the oven, the long extended table with mismatched chairs, the post-feast naps or walks, and the long anticipated pumpkin pie.  Goode's "pen-and-ink drawings with a watercolor wash" present many surprises!  Look for the hidden stories her illustrations hold, just to name a few: the mysterious gift, "whose dog is that?", and Great-grandma's knitted present.  I guarantee that your family will enjoy Thanksgiving Is Here!


Note: Goode collaborated with Cynthia Rylant a few times to readers' delight.  I will feature those two books, Christmas in the Country and When I Was Young in the Mountains, later on.