Round the Turkey: A Grateful Thanksgiving

by Leslie Kimmelman, Nancy Cote (Illustrator)

Overview

Thanksgiving is here! Jesse can't wait because this year all the relatives are coming to his house. When everyone arrives, they sit down to dinner and round the table (and the turkey!) they go, each taking turns to remember the year's blessings.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780807593226
Publisher:	Whitman, Albert & Company
Publication date:	09/01/2002
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	32
File size:	10 MB
Age Range:	4 - 8 Years

About the Author

Leslie Kimmelman is the author of many picture books, including Belly Breathe and Trick Arrr Treat.

Nancy Cote feels like the luckiest person in the world because she can write and illustrate children's books. Her unique art style has garnered international attention and numerous awards. She lives in Massachusetts.

Editorial Reviews

This rhyming book nicely captures the Thanksgiving tradition of taking turns expressing gratitude for events of the past year. Young Jesse says that he is glad that his family is hosting the joyous gathering. Then each guest around the table gives thanks for a wide range of things: a new baby brother, an adopted baby daughter, a homerun hit in Little League, a rescued cat, a new phone, the food, the magical snowfall outside, and even a new fiancé. Grandpa is just glad to be alive: 'Heart's a -beating, hear just fine./Lots of grandkids to call mine.' With humor and warmth, Kimmelman's verse savors the individual voices in the loving family: even lisps are preserved. Cote's small round paintings alternate between scenes at the table and events in the speaker's stories, while endpapers provide a colorful family tree. An excellent choice for families or teachers who want to discuss the true meaning of Thanksgiving.

Booklist

Kimmelman's (Hanukkah Lights, Hanukkah Nights) round-the-table expressions of gratitude in verse bog down with forced rhymes and cloying characterizations. As a large family gathers, young Jesse sets the tone: "They're coming for turkey/ and stuffing and pie,/ for hugs and for kisses/ and handshakes and `hi.' " Once seated for the meal, Nana suggests they each express their thanks. Cousin Milo describes holding the flag at the school assembly ("Everybody came:/ the principal, the teachers,/ and Mayor What's-His-Name"); Susan talks about her speech therapist ("Every Thurthday, all latht year,/ I went to thee Mith Vandermeer"). Cote's (The Can-Do Thanksgiving) spot illustrations, as simpering as the text, do little to flesh out the speakers. Ages 5-8. (Sept.)

Publishers Weekly

K-Gr 2-Through rhymes, the members of an extended family take turns sharing what they are grateful for on Thanksgiving. This collection of short poems begins and ends with young Jesse, who interjects comments throughout in italics. The first page features a family tree with each of the characters' portraits. The illustrations are lively and colorful, and show the many situations for which the individuals give thanks. The concept has potential, but falls flat in its execution. Peggy's selection is filled with "Yakity-yaks" and teen-speak ("I'm thankful, you know,/for my new phone, see?/Briiing! Gotta go./That's prob'ly for me!"). Mark and Aunt Julie's poem is written in alternating lines about how they met in a coffee shop after having a morning full of mishaps. Jesse asks, "Is Aunt Julie getting married again, Mom?" "She sure is, Jesse." The poems are all over the map in terms of subject, length, and rhythm, and have only the illustrations to tie them together. One poem is about how Aunt Terry and Uncle Dave went far away to adopt Kaitlyn. It is accompanied by Asian symbols, but the country and culture of their daughter are not identified. Although the idea of each family member giving thanks may sound like a worthy subject, this attempt lacks child appeal in tone and structure.-Genevieve Gallagher, New York Public Library Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information.

School Library Journal

"An excellent choice for families or teachers who want to discuss the true meaning of Thanksgiving."

Booklist

From the Publisher