The Very First Thanksgiving Day

Narrator Therese Plummer's voice is clear and firm, and she sets a steady but leisurely pace as she shares this short poem with young listeners. Cleverly, the story starts and ends at the 1621 celebration of the first Thanksgiving. Plummer follows the series of cumulative rhymes without falling into singsong. The simple vocal approach helps the youngest listeners focus on the words--"MAYFLOWER," "Pilgrims," "Indians"--and absorb the accompanying picture book. Plummer concludes by reading the author's note detailing her use of the word "Indian" and the illustrator's note describing how her research informed the illustrations. Gentle background music accompanies the production. A.R. � AudioFile 2016, Portland, Maine

September 23, 2002
The team behind The Stable Where Jesus Was Born
reprises a "House That Jack Built" format: "These are the Pilgrims who farmed the new land,/ who steadfastly labored and toiled by hand,/ and learned from the Indians, skillful and strong." While this construct necessitates somewhat simplistic characterizations, Greene succinctly describes the first feast and traces the Pilgrims' roots back to England. Gaber contributes breathtaking paintings, particularly noteworthy for their distinctive autumnal lighting and robust, Brueghelesque palette. Her illustration of the Mayflower, seen as a tiny ship against a vast sea nearly indistinguishable from the sky, alone testifies to the Pilgrims' courageous journey. Ages 3-6.