Friday, November 9, 2012

PPBF: P is for Pilgrim


....a Thanksgiving Alphabet



Welcome to Perfect Picture Book Fridays, where we review picture books which we deem worthy of mention.  This concept was created by Susanna Hill, and is a helpful resource for librarians, teachers and parents.  For a list of all books reviewed so far, along with activities to complement them, click here.


This month I'm focusing on, of course, the Thanksgiving theme!  





Author: Carol Crane
Illustrator: Helle Urban
Publisher: Sleeping Bear Press
Date: 2003

Ages: 8 to 12

Themes: Thanksgiving, Pilgrims, Native Americans, Early American History

First lines: Across the Atlantic Ocean, a lone ship on a vast sea. Ablaze with new hope, all praying to be free.

Book Flap: from the lives of our early settlers, who established the foundations for American freedoms and ideals, to today's celebrations, P is for Pilgrim colorfully examines the history and lore of Thanksgiving.

Author Carol Crane's lilting poems will captivate young readers, while the Core Democratic Values, woven into the informative sidebar text, will be of tremendous value to teachers, students and parents. Warmly and charmingly illustrated by Helle Urban, P is for Pilgrim: A Thanksgiving Alphabet is a treasure for all readers.

Why I like it: This book is complete with background information about the founding of our country, not just Thanksgiving. It also shares the difficulties the Pilgrims had in a realistic way, and goes more into depth about the native Americans involved in the settling of our nation.

Activities:

Sleeping Bear Press has a PDF file of many activities relating to P is for Pilgrims:

http://www.sleepingbearpress.com/teachingguides/PilgrimGuide.pdf


Enjoy your Thanksgiving preparations, and as you do, think of the struggles our first Americans endured as they settled our nation!

14 comments:

  1. Oh! Another Sleeping Bear alphabet book on the list.I love them. The cover is beautiful.

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  2. Jarm, have not seen this book. But, I like the idea of it being an alphabet book about Pilgrims. A great find in time for the hoidays. Love the cover.

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    1. You are the second one to notice, Patricia! I love it too.

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  3. This sounds like the perfect book to introduce the entire idea behind Thanksgiving to my kids, Jarm! It's an alien tradition for us, but from whatever I keep reading about it, it sounds like such a lovely way for families to come together. I'm putting this one on my must-dig list! Thanks for sharing it, Jarm

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    1. It would be, Richa...glad the book can be a help to you. Thanks for stopping by!

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  4. How DO you find these? Thanks for the tip - on my list!

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    1. I am drawn to non-fiction PBs, Julie. Somehow, they catch my eye when I look through the books in our local children's library. I'm glad you found a few for your list!

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  5. I'm about to celebrate my first thanksgiving so keen to know more and what better way than through picture books. Thanks for this first recommendation, Jarm.

    And yay for winning Marathon Mouse!

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    1. This is a perfect book, then, to introduce you to Thanksgiving, Joanna! And yes, I'm looking forward to reading MM and sharing it with my grandson...

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  6. This reminds me of the Thanksgiving I spent in Plymouth, Massachusetts. They had a wonderful parade, and then a huge church service. The altar was a massive cornucopia of fruits and vegetables.

    ~Debbie

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    1. What a perfect place to be on Thanksgiving, Debbie...I love New England!

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  7. This looks lovely - I esp. like the artwork.

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I would love to have you comment...thanks!

Journey into the Promised Land

Journey into the Promised Land
From Egypt to Israel