This First Thanksgiving Day

Dear Readers,

Two years ago, I recommended to my young friends a story entitled This First Thanksgiving Day by Laura Krauss Melmed and Mark Buehner (c. 2001).  Well, I stand corrected!  My elementary friends have quite enjoyed this Thanksgiving story too!

Revisit my previous post here.  Then consider letting the older readers read it to their younger siblings.  And while the younger siblings look for the hidden turkey on each two-page spread, have the older siblings look for that quirky dinosaur on various spreads (we're still not sure just how many).  While the younger siblings count the people on each spread, have the older siblings practice their addition by finding and then adding the various animals (squirrels, rabbits, fish, birds, geese, chickens, etc.) on each spread.  Either way, enjoy the fun activities while celebrating Thanksgiving!

Parents, this would be a great book to check out before that long car trip or while you're trying to get dinner on the table but the Macy's Day Parade ended hours ago.

This First Thanksgiving Day

Over the next few weeks, I'm going to feature a few Thanksgiving books so you'll have time to check them out before Thanksgiving day.

One of the stories that the kids have wanted read to them over and over again is This First Thanksgiving Day: A Counting Story by Laura Krauss Melmed and illustrated by Mark Buehner.  They're taken with Buehner's bright, artful illustrations, jammed packed with "I spy" elements of squirrels, rabbits, and other creatures.  As Melmed writes the text in twelve poems, she highlights the day-to-day harvesting activities from the children's points of view.  Then Buehner ends with a beautiful scene of the two villages eating the first Thanksgiving feast together.

This story provides many fun teaching elements too! 

• Since this is a counting story, practice counting the participants in each page as they ready for the very first Thanksgiving. 
• Listen for the rhyme in the second and fourth lines. 
• Have your children find the hidden turkey in each page. 

 Note: For children unfamiliar with the Thanksgiving story, I'd recommend begining with a book that gives a more comprehensive account of how the Wampanoag and the Pilgrims came together to share a bountiful harvest before I'd begin with this book (and I'll be featuring some of those  recommendations later this week).  Also, this particular story is better suited for the kindergarten and toddler ages.