T Is for Turkey

Publishers Weekly

Putting readers in the audience of a school play, cartoon children enact a rhyming ABC Thanksgiving story, dressed in the clothing of the colonists and Native Americans and set against a backdrop of scenery and stage props. Along the way, the kids aim to “set straight” certain myths: “I is for Indians/ But that name's not quite right./ We're the Wampanoag tribe,/ or 'People of the Light.' ” But on the whole, this is a breezy book about celebrating: “Y is for yummy./ We share this great food/ And rejoice all together,/ What a wonderful mood!” Ages 4–8. (Aug.)

Children's Literature - Sharon Salluzzo

The costumed elementary school students cover Thanksgiving from A to Z in a school play. The big-eyed cartoon-style illustrations show the children having fun as they introduce each letter. A word beginning with each letter of the alphabet is associated with the arrival of the Pilgrims and the celebration of the harvest meal shared by the Wampanoags and the surviving colonists a year after their arrival. There is a four-line rhyming stanza to explain why that word was chosen. Some are informative such as, "I is for Indians/ But that name's not quite right,/ We're the Wampanoag tribe,/ or ‘People of the Light.'" According to the Minnesota State University Mankato website, "The name Wampanoag means ‘Eastern People' or ‘People of the dawn.'" I could not locate a translation of "People of the Light." Some can be confusing such as, "L is for Lincoln,/ The President who said,/ Mrs. Hale, it's official,/ We all will break bread!" Given a young child's sense of history, they may think that Lincoln was one of the Pilgrims. Some are words that describe feelings. It is all a bit of a jumble. The last page presents a brief description of the story of Thanksgiving. There are other books about Thanksgiving that will give young children a better understanding of this American holiday. Reviewer: Sharon Salluzzo