Fiction - Food, Fiction - Holidays & Festivals, Fiction - Family Life, Holidays (Non-Religious) - Social Sciences

This is Thanksgiving

Name: This is Thanksgiving
Author: Harriet Ziefert
ISBN: 9781593540654

by Harriet Ziefert, Deborah Zemke

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Overview

Set to the rollicking rhythm of The House That Jack Built and similar in format to the highly popular This is Passover and It's Hanukkah!, this cumulative book in rhyme describes the many delights that a large, extended family will enjoy for Thanksgiving. Children will just want to gobble up this perfect culinary introduction to the beloved holiday. Deborah Zemke brings both whimsy and just a hint of nostalgia to this delectable adventure.

Synopsis

Publishers Weekly

Rhymed "The House That Jack Built"-style stanzas stuff the board book pages of This Is Thanksgiving by Harriet Ziefert, illus. by Deborah Zemke. From the "potato, mashed and white,/ and gravy made exactly right" to the "turkey, stuffed and brown,/ the finest turkey in the town," a plentiful banquet awaits the relatives pushing through the door. Zemke's warm, cheerful paintings culminate in a spread featuring two large flaps that lift to reveal the whole family coming together to give thanks. Copyright 2004 Reed Business Information.

About the Author, Harriet Ziefert

Harriet Ziefert has been making magic with words for many years. She is the author of over 200 books for young readers. A mother of two and grandmother of five, she lives in South Orange, New Jersey.

Liz Murphy was born and raised in England and attended the Kingston Art College, where she majored in graphic design. She currently lives with her husband and two sons in Montclair, New Jersey. Liz has illustrated four other picture books for Blue Apple.

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Editorials

Publishers Weekly

Children's Literature

Harriet's Ziefert's cumulative, rhyming This is Thanksgiving helps little ones anticipate the feast to come. Bouncy rhythms and cozy images of "the turkey, stuffed and brown, the finest turkey in the town" and lots of "relatives ringing the bell" will have kids asking for this book as potatoes are mashed and uncles and aunts sorted out in their own households. The board-book format should prove sturdy enough to withstand not only the exuberant grabs of grubby toddlers but any gravy drops encountered during a communal read round the Thanksgiving table. In keeping with the harvest season, illustrator Deborah Zemke's cheery family and goodie-laden table are rendered predominantly in rich golds, browns, oranges and deep greens. 2004, Blue Apple/Handprint Books, Ages 18 mo. to 4.
—Mary Quattlebaum

Kirkus Reviews

In a sturdy board book, Ziefert and Zemke salute the bounty of Thanksgiving. As gently rolling as a prairie swell, it begins its rhymed celebration with the foodstuffs: "This is potato, mashed and white, / and gravy made exactly right / and the mix of / carrots and peas / and the yams that / are sure to please." There's a fun, faintly corny melodiousness to the verse, heartfelt but with an eye skinned for good cheer. Each new goodie is added to the cumulative listing until there enters the last bounty: all those relatives and friends who elevate this tribute above mere stuffing (both the bird and the belly). The final pages reveal a fold out for "a thankful song / for our blessings all year long." The art is simple but as appealing to the young eye as a tray of bonbons, and is sure to make at least one reader drool. (Board book. 2-5)