Thanksgiving: The True Story by Penny Colman
c.2008, Henry Holt
$18.95/$20.95 Canada
160 pages

The size of a basketball hoop. As big as a tire. Or … larger than a bike rim. No, wait – the size of a small planet.

That’s how big your plate will be this Thanksgiving, because just thinking of all that food makes you really hungry.

Ever since Halloween ended, you’ve been learning about Thanksgiving in school. Maybe you spent time in art class drawing pictures of Pilgrim men with silver-buckled hats, women with white aprons and Indian guests with feathers in their hair.

What would you say if you found out that might all be wrong? Read more in the new book Thanksgiving: The True Story by Penny Colman.

For many years, schools have taught that the Pilgrims landed the Mayflower on Plymouth Rock and had a feast to celebrate. They invited Massasoit and his people, and they served turkey and corn, pumpkin pie and bread. And it all happened in 1621, right?

Certain people in Texas say no. Some in Florida and Virginia don’t believe it, either. Some historians claim that “official” Thanksgiving feasts were celebrated elsewhere, long before Pilgrims even thought about sailing across the ocean. (Pilgrims, by the way, wore brightly colored clothing and probably never had buckles on their hats.)

Believe it or not, the United States didn’t have an “official” Thanksgiving until Sarah Josepha Hale made it a personal mission to give us one. Hale firmly believed that Americans needed to unite on a holiday of gratitude.

Over many years, she wrote hundreds of letters to influential government officials in support of a nationwide Day of Thanks.
Finally, on Oct. 3, 1863, Abraham Lincoln proclaimed the last Thursday of November to be Thanksgiving Day. Almost 80 years later, Franklin Delano Roosevelt changed the date to the fourth Thursday, after pressure from store owners.

So what will you and your family do on Thanksgiving? For most of us, it’s not Turkey Day without the turkey, but “traditional” dishes vary from family to family.

You might watch football after feasting, but cheering for your team is a tradition that’s less than 60 years old.

And, you might be surprised to know that very early celebrations were quiet and serious with no games and no socializing. Some people even tried to pass laws making it illegal to have fun on Thanksgiving!

Does your little turkey love Thanksgiving?  If so, this book will be a big hit at your feast this year.

Using personal and historical accounts, interviews and newspaper articles from the past, author Penny Colman shows kids how Thanksgiving has evolved into the cherished holiday we know today.

She explains how myths, mistruths and traditions got their starts and she uncovers little-known facts that children will love to repeat at the kids’ table. Best of all, Colman doesn’t “talk down” to her readers, which teachers, parents and kids will appreciate.

If your nine-to16-year-old loves learning about holidays, cultural traditions or might just want to read something appropriate for the season, look for this book. Thanksgiving: The True Story is a book they’ll gobble up.

Terri Schlichenmeyer has been reading since she was three years old and never goes anywhere without a book. She lives on a hill in Wisconsin with two dogs and 11,000 books.

Readers with questions or comments may write to her in care of this publication.