Giving Thanks: The 1621 Harvest Feast - Hardcover

Waters, Kate

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0439243955 ISBN 13: 9780439243957

Publisher: Scholastic, 2001

Synopsis

Told by Dancing Moccasins, a 14-year-old Wampanoag boy, and Resolved White, a 6-year-old English boy, a fascinating historical book brings to life the harvest celebration between the Pilgrims and the Wampanoag people in 1621.

About this title

Review:

Ever wonder what the real first Thanksgiving was like? In Plimoth, Massachusetts, sometime in the autumn of 1621, English settlers--known as Pilgrims--and the Wampanoag people shared a harvest celebration that eventually became swallowed up in myth and legend. Giving Thanks is a photographic reenactment of what might have taken place, based on true historical accounts. Starring Resolved White, a 6-year-old English boy, and Dancing Moccasins, a 14-year-old Wampanoag youth, this fascinating story alternates between their points of view to paint a picture of life in America during the 17th century. The two boys are cautiously intrigued by each other's cultures as their respective communities come together in peace to celebrate the gifts of the earth. Compelling photographs by Russ Kendall bring the time alive, while brief text by Kate Waters sets the tone and fills in details. Children who have only read about the first Thanksgiving in textbooks will glean a much more authentic understanding of this powerful historical event. (Ages 5 to 8) --Emilie Coulter

From School Library Journal:

Gr 2-6-In this photo-essay, Waters introduces two fictitious characters in order to bring to life events that may have happened around the time of the first Thanksgiving. The story takes place between September 21st and November 9th, 1621, and is told in parallel narratives by a 14-year-old Wampanoag Indian boy, Dancing Moccasins, and a 6-year-old Pilgrim boy named Resolved White. Crisp, full-color photos taken at Plimoth Plantation offer an accurate historical reenactment of the harvest days and celebrations that occurred between the Indians and Pilgrims. Historical notes and descriptions of the living-history museum add the perfect ending to this very informative and simply stated offering. Whether readers are interested in a good story or want to learn more about Colonial America, maybe comparing and contrasting cultures, or are interested in how to get involved in historical reenactments, this offering will be an asset to any social studies curriculum.

Betsy Barnett, Eads School District, CO

Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

About this edition

• Publisher: Scholastic
• Publication date: 2001
• ISBN 10: 0439243955
• ISBN 13: 9780439243957
• Binding: Hardcover
• Number of pages: 40
• Illustrator: Kendall Russ