Thanksgiving

I've got a few Thanksgiving books to share this week, which is exciting because it means that there are new Thanksgiving titles out there that I get to read to my classes and children - and because it gives me a few days to catch up on some other books that I might finally get to blog about!

Sarah Gives Thanks by Mike Allegra is my go-to title this year.  Last year I raved about Balloons Over Broadway, which is still one of my favorites, so this year I have moved on to sharing a bit more about the Thanksgiving holiday.

Sarah Josepha Hale is the woman we can credit Thanksgiving to.  She was a widow in 1822 with five young children and found reason to still bow her head and give thanks.  A great reader and writer, she eventually began to make a living by writing and later became an editor of different ladies magazines.  All the while, Sarah continued to champion her cause, writing to four different presidents before Abraham Lincoln eventually decided that Thanksgiving should become a national holiday.

My students enjoy the illustrations, but they especially appreciate knowing that a book is "real" and were excited to find out that Sarah Josepha Hale is the reason for our Thanksgiving holiday.  We've read this one at home already, but I am sure it will get read a few more times this year - and in the future as I plan to purchase a copy for my own library.