On Story Bent

This cheerful rhyming book narrating the journey on the Mayflower through to the first shared Thanksgiving is an absolutely fantastic addition to our library. I particularly appreciate how the refrain for each section is a moment of thanksgiving for God's kindness and provision even through all the difficulties. Also love the colorful, historically accurate attire. Can be read to a variety of ages. Definitely deserves to be more widely known!  

"When Bartholomew, Remember, and Mary Allerton and their parents first step down from the Mayflower after sixty days at sea, they never dream that life in the New World will be so hard. Many in their Plymouth Colony won't make it through the winter, and the colony's first harvest is possible only with the help of two friends, Samoset and Squanto. Richly detailed paintings show how the pilgrims lived after landing at Plymouth, through the dark winter and into the busy days of spring, summer, and fall. Culminating with the excitement of the original Thanksgiving feast, Three Young Pilgrims  makes history come alive." (from the back cover) If I had to choose one book about the pilgrims, this would be it. Absolute top favorite. I loved it as a child and I love it now. (And yes, my daughter enjoyed it too.) Beautifully illustrated and told perfectly, the author touches on all the salient points -- the voyage, the hunger and sickness, the loss even children had to face, and...

Smoothly written and easy to read aloud, this picture book covers the historical facts leading up to the first Thanksgiving. While it doesn't delve deeply into the reasons the pilgrims set sail from England (other than mentioning that the king of England wouldn't let them worship God in their own way) and while it also doesn't elaborate on their direct thankfulness to God at the end, it's straightforward and less abstract than some others I've seen for the targeted age group. It makes an excellent first nonfiction read, neatly encapsulating their ocean journey and the ups and downs of the first year leading up to the great feast. Nice illustrations. Short and succinct, it's our standby, making a great introduction to the topic! Recommend for ages 4-5 & up

This is a cute picture book. It's not intended as an in-depth introduction to the first Thanksgiving, but with short, lilting lines, it captures the action, hard work, and enthusiasm of all the children helping prepare for the feast. It also has a nice notes-from-the-author section that goes into more explanation on what's happening in the illustrations. Altogether, lively and evocative, it does make a great first introduction to the historic event for small people. (Since it's a counting book, it can also become quite animated during a read aloud session. ;)) Definitely worth a look and/or picking up at your local library!

An action-adventure story published in 1899, this hit the bestsellers list in 1900 and became the most successful popular novel in America between Uncle Tom's Cabin (1852) and Gone with the Wind (1936). I think I first discovered it through the rabbit trail of my love for Howard Pyle's school of illustration (or Johnston's other Civil War historical fiction). There should still be plenty of old copies lying around, but you can find new copies inexpensively on Amazon and it's also available on Gutenberg if you'd like to check it out here . Before we go further, a short summary: Set in Virginia round Jamestown in 1621 and 1622, Captain Ralph Percy marries a lady newly arrived aboard ship from England, unaware that she is a runaway ward of James I. In due course, the villain of the piece makes his appearance and we see the terror of what she was flying from -- the lascivious and appropriately named, Lord Carnal, favorite of the King. Sword play, daring deeds, and wild ...