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Synopsis
In this Thanksgiving story for young readers, each member of a family writes an anonymous "I'm thankful for" note and places it in the Thanksgiving bowl. The family later guesses who wrote each note. But one Thanksgiving, the bowl is accidentally left outside, where it rolls off on a yearlong series of adventures.
Children's Literature
This is a heartwarming story about one family s Thanksgiving tradition. Every Thanksgiving, the family looks forward to Grandma s Thanksgiving bowl. The yellow plastic bowl is filled with family members notes about what they are thankful for this year. After everyone enjoys their Thanksgiving meal outside, Grandma reads each I am Thankful For note in the bowl and everyone tries to guess who wrote it. This year, the bowl is left outside. Over the course of the following year, a series of different people each find the bowl at the perfect moment. Each month, someone is grateful for the bowl. It is the perfect shelter for a mouse in December and the perfect hat for a snowman during a gusty snow day. It becomes a wonderful pot for a plant project in April and an ideal mold for sandcastles on a hot day in August. Every month, the bowl somehow gets passed along to a new user but eventually a mother raccoon and her playful kits leave it in a pile of leaves by Grandma s picnic table. Fortunately, on Thanksgiving Day, the bowl is found. Everyone is thankful for the family tradition to be enjoyed again. Kroll does a nice job of connecting the traveling bowl to the changing seasons. O Neill s paintings depict a kind, rosy-cheeked grandmother and a happy family eating slices of pumpkin pie while the adults enjoy steaming mugs of coffee. The dynamic pictures give readers a lot to look at. Reviewer: Julie Minnich