Mary's First Thanksgiving: An Inspirational Story of Gratefulness - Hardcover

When Kathy-jo Wargin was a young girl, each night after dinner, her mother let her choose between washing the dishes or writing a poem. Before long, she decided that if she grew up to be a writer, she wouldn't have to do any dishes. She has since learned that even though she has published more than twenty award-winning books for children, she still has to wash the dishes. Kathy-jo lives in Minnesota with her husband and her son. Go to her website www.kathy-jowargin.com

Kindergarten-Grade 3—This insipid story of a newly immigrated 19th-century Irish family whose daughter feels the pain of separation from her homeland reiterates the origins of Thanksgiving. Mary's father introduces the story of the five kernels of corn, which is used to remind people of sacrifices made by the first colonists during "the starving time." Mary comes around and actually thinks of something she is thankful for. The accompanying paintings appear to be based on or re-created from photographs and reinforce the vapidity—despite their period clothes, the characters resemble Land's End catalog models more than Pilgrims. In one of them, Mary looks more like a spoiled 21st-century birthday child as she pulls her finger through a pie that is to be the only special dish at her family's feast table. Talk about gratefulness! This book has limited child appeal.—Lisa Egly Lehmuller, St. Patrick's Catholic School, Charlotte, NC
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