Jimmy Younis
The Very First Thanksgiving Day
By:  Rhonda Gowler Greene
Paintings by:  Susan Gaber
Grade: K-2
Historical Fiction

Have you ever wondered how the first Thanksgiving in America went?  Or wondered about what happened during the first Thanksgiving?  In the story The Very First Thanksgiving Day, reader's are offered an insight into the first time this holiday was celebrated.  This story expresses the two cultures combining to eat  and learn from each other.

The Very First Thanksgiving Day tells about that day with the use of poetry.  Reader's learn about the Pilgrims and how they would labor and try to understand the ways to live in this new land.  The Indian's taught the Pilgrims how to crop and live in these harsh lands.

This story is a bad example of good historical fiction.  I feel that this is a very inaccurate depiction of the first Thanksgiving and the story itself is just the main facts and nothing more.  The paintings are well and somewhat describe the text.  There is not much information in this story at all and repeats itself a few times.  The idea to put it in a poem form is very cool and made the story more entertaining.  Although it is entertaining, I feel the story is very inaccurate and does not give a fair insight to how the first Thanksgiving went.  It does tell about the relationship between the pilgrims and Indian's which I feel is important but not as important as the main idea of the story which is Thanksgiving, not the relationship.  As a reader I did not feel connected to this story in any way, shape, or form.

This story would work best for K-2, and I think that second grade would be pushing it.  I would not have this story in my library when I have my classroom.  If I do read it I would only read it once and that would be around thanksgiving most likely and with a class in Kindergarten or first grade.