Kids Book Reviews

Thank You, Thanksgiving

by David Milgrim

      Product Details
    * ISBN: 0618752439
      ISBN-13: 9780618752430
    * Format: Paperback, 32pp
    * Publisher: Houghton Mifflin Company
    * Sales Rank: 5,813
    * Age Range: For infants or children in preschool

      Annotation
      While on a Thanksgiving Day errand for her mother, a girl says thank you to all the things around her.

      From the Publisher
      In this exuberant Thanksgiving story, a little girl goes on a last-minute errand for her mother. Along the way, she thanks all the familiar things she loves- her warm boots, the song of the birds, the pretty clouds in the November sky. And when she gets home from her errand, her family thanks her for what she has brought. David Milgrim's spare, repetitive text and colorful, contemporary illustrations are perfect for beginning readers, and leave no doubt about how much there is in the world to be thankful for!

      From The Critics

      Publishers Weekly
      A small-town girl on a mission to buy whipping cream for the holiday dessert occasions this visually playful outing. In blocky shapes and muted colors that recall the style of J. Otto Seibold, Milgrim (Cows Can't Fly) chronicles the girl's path from her home ("Thanks for sending me, Mom") to the general store and back again. Along the way, she expresses her gratitude for her "warm boots," a duck who returns the scarf she loses and a quartet of rabbits for their companionship. Despite the hokey premise, the scenery, taking in a family of snowpeople and houses of lavender and sage hues, conjures a postmodern winter wonderland. Ages 3-6. (Sept.) Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information.

      Children's Literature - Jane Harrington
      In this adorable tale of a Thanksgiving Day errand, a little girl thanks all the things she is aware of along the way—the animals she sees and hears, the places she passes in her community, the natural world, etc. After accomplishing her mission, she returns home and is exuberantly thanked by her large family, who have been awaiting the arrival of...whipped cream! The digital oil pastel illustrations are bright and cartoon-y, perfect for the picture-book crowd. Kids will notice lots of clever little funnies in the pages, like animals peering in the general store window while the protagonist buys food for them along with the whipped cream, and a snow-baby with a pacifier among the neighborhood's snowmen. Pictures of extended family, turkey, pie and other traditions of Thanksgiving are vivid and happy, making this a great holiday read. Adults will chuckle at the references to that most inexplicable part of the tradition: football. Simple, repetitive text (on the order of Goodnight Moon) makes it a good choice for kids learning to read. 2003, Houghton Mifflin/Clarion Books, Ages 2 to 5.

      School Library Journal
      PreS-After a delicious Thanksgiving dinner, a young girl walks through the snow to the general store to buy whipping cream for the family's pumpkin pie. As she walks, she gives thanks to various animals and objects that she sees. "Thank you, pretty clouds.- Thank you, park.- Thank you, snow people." The colorful digital-oil-pastel pictures are cheerful and incorporate lots of humorous details. The very simple, repetitive text, reminiscent of Margaret Wise Brown's Goodnight Moon (HarperCollins, 1947), will appeal to toddlers. Like whipping cream, this selection is nice but not essential.-Janet M. Bair, Trumbull Library, CT Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information.

Courtesy of Barnes and Noble