Thanksgiving Friends

Tammi Salzano grew up in upstate New York and has been involved in children's books for 25 years. She has written more than 60 books for young readers and has edited countless more. When she's not busy searching for a word that rhymes with "together," she can be found baking cookies and taking too many pictures of her cats. Several years ago, she decided to escape the cold weather and now lives with her family in sunny Florida.Seb Braun was born in Strasbourg, France. As a child he spent countless hours drawing, but at secondary school there were no art classes, so he filled his homework with doodles and portraits of his teachers. Apart from creating pictures, Seb's favorite pastimes are making toys from wood, playing with his children and climbing the Cotswold hills on his vintage road bike.

PreS–Adorable illustrations combined with lighthearted text highlight the important elements of Thanksgiving. As an added bonus, some pages offer special tactile opportunities for children. For example, the title opens with a bear cub, who has soft fur on its belly that children can feel, explaining what day it is; “We are grateful for this day. It’s Thanksgiving. Hip, hip, hooray!” The next page shows Mama bear with a cub and fawn mixing something special in a bowl for supper. Fox is nearby on a footstool washing dishes, while a mouse assists in the sink rinsing a spoon. These friends, plus a few others on later pages, appear throughout the story celebrating their time together in activities that will be familiar to many children. The title ends reiterating the message of the story: “Friendship, laughter, food, and play–we’re grateful for this holiday! Happy Thanksgiving!” Providing a good introduction on things to be thankful for, this book will be relatable for young children; the illustrations also lend themselves to discussions children can have with their grown-ups. The message and format of this book are winners. The story is written in a way to appeal to young children, and the well-done illustrations will capture their imaginations.VERDICT Highly recommended for public and preschool libraries, this sweet holiday title is a perfect introduction for young children to Thanksgiving.--School Library Journal