About This Book:
The beautifully illustrated true story of how Thanksgiving became a national holiday in America, of Sarah Josepha Hale, the woman who made the holiday happen, and of the role of gratitude the world over. Marvelously brought to life by the New York Timesbestselling author Denise Kiernan.
All across the world, among hundreds of cultures and across centuries, people have come together to give thanks. But Americans didn’t have an official Thanksgiving holiday until the 1800s. The holiday Americans know today exists because of a woman named Sarah Josepha Hale, a spirited letter-writing campaign, a sympathetic president, and a civil war.
This beautifully illustrated picture book shares the true story of how Thanksgiving became a national American holiday and offers a look at the timeless and global power of gratitude.
*Review Contributed By Cherokee Crum, Staff Reviewer*
Nice Overview
Giving Thanks: How Thanksgiving Became a Holiday is a great narrative of just that – How Thanksgiving Became on Holiday.
I rather enjoyed that fact that there no mention of Pilgrims or Native Americans. The focus of this story was on Sarah Hale and President Lincoln.
I’m unsure on the accuracy of the “facts” in this story, as I was taught that Thanksgiving was first proclaimed a holiday in 1789 by George Washington (on Thursday, November 26th) and that Abraham Lincoln declared Thanksgiving to fall on the last Thursday of November (a rolling holiday) in 1863.
There is a not so graphic mention of the civil war, and the author introduces the phrase “thank you” in a few different languages. The book is written in a way that while may not be entirely memorable, it does open doors for children to learn about other things; different languages and cultures, the civil war, presidents, etc. I appreciate that there isn’t a specific mention towards any one religion, this really helps make the book more inclusive.
The illustrations are beautifully done. They show a diverse people and backgrounds, as well as time periods.
