Thanks for Thanksgiving

Sylvia Pantaleo is an assistant professor of education specializing in
children’s literature at Queen’s University in Kingston.

The words of the text are set in rhyming couplets, with the first line
of each couplet (and many of the second lines) beginning “Thanks
for.” “Thanks for the golden trees. / Thanks for the crunch of
leaves. / Thanks for the Northern Spies, / that turn into apple pies.”
The rhythmic language and content of the book are simple. Thanks is
expressed for such things as the fall sun, outdoor fun, the blue sky,
golden trees, crunching leaves, gleaming candles, and the cool fall
night. People of different ages are depicted enjoying such activities as
raking leaves, hiking in the woods, and preparing the Thanksgiving meal.
A page at the end of the book provides historical background about the
origins of Thanksgiving as a Canadian holiday. Mary Jane Gerber’s
illustrations effectively portray the varying textures of the multiple
items in each picture and vividly capture the splendid array of fall
colors in Eastern Canada. Recommended.