If Animals Gave Thanks

by Ann Whitford Paul, David Walker (Illustrator)

Overview

A must-have for any nursery! If Animals Gave Thanks is a beloved board book in the bestselling If Animals Kissed Goodnight series that imagines how creatures from all across the animal kingdom might share their gratitude – making it the perfect for read alouds during the fall season and Thanksgiving.

What if animals did what YOU do?

Raccoon would chir-chirrrr thanks for her cub. Crow would loop and swoop in the sky. And Bear would invite his friends to a bountiful feast. Across the animal kingdom, every creature would be grateful for food, family, and being together.

Featuring playful rhymes and adorable art, little ones can see how creatures, great and small, show thankfulness. Families will giggle along as they imagine the critters that inhabit places near and far. A wonderful gift for baby showers, birthdays, new parents, or any occasion!

Don't miss the other books in this adorable series: If Animals Kissed Good Night, If Animals Said I Love You, If Animals Celebrated Christmas, If Animals Went to School, If Animals Tried to Be Kind, If Animals Trick-or-Treated, and If Animals Went to Work.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780374313418
Publisher:	Farrar, Straus and Giroux
Publication date:	09/01/2020
Series:	If Animals Kissed Good Night
Pages:	32
Sales rank:	1,106,909
Product dimensions:	9.15(w) x 9.44(h) x 0.40(d)
Age Range:	2 - 6 Years

About the Author

Ann Whitford Paul and David Walker collaborate on the If Animals series, including If Animals Kissed Good Night, which School Library Journal calls "charming"; If Animals Went to School; and If Animals Celebrated Christmas. Ann lives in Los Angeles, California. David lives in Chapel Hill, North Carolina.

Editorial Reviews

2020-07-14
As summer turns to fall, adorable forest animals count their blessings in Paul and Walker’s newest addition to the If Animals… series.

Rabbit and Squirrel are each thankful for things that keep them warm—Rabbit for his thick fur and Squirrel for her puffy tail. Crow’s thankful for the “great bowl of sky,” and “Raccoon would chir-chirrrrr / thanks for her cub / and nuz-nuzzle him / and rub rubbi-rub.” Frog’s grateful for her “bug-catching tongue and her lily-pad boat”; Beaver, for his oarlike tail. A bit oddly, Coyote howls “thanks for the / bright, sunny day.” Bear makes appearances throughout the pages, collecting clover, then honey, a basket of blueberries, and a fish. Turtle and Skunk round out the thankful friends who all gather round Bear’s laden table. After their feast, they lounge in the grass together, their contented looks saying everything. Paul’s rhyming verses here emphasize some of the sounds forest animals make, the typeset changing color and alignment to suit, and no doubt young listeners and their enthusiastic adults will enjoy voicing them. Walker’s cuddly creatures are like stuffed animals come to life, all gentle smiles and dot eyes. The softly colored palette and rounded edges in the illustrations further add to the sweet mood.

A nature-themed lead-in to Thanksgiving and, for the science-minded, a beginning lesson in adaptations. (Picture book. 2-6)

Kirkus Reviews