In the spirit of Thanksgiving and
all, let me tell you about some books with the Thanksgiving theme. The first is a non-fiction item entitled, “Mayflower:
A Story of Courage, Community, and War,” by Nathaniel Philbrick. This is a book
that was written in 2007. It is not a
new item but it is a great history about the those that landed on what we call
Plymouth Rock. Philbrick a consummate historian tells us in the books back flap
that he thought he understood the history of the Pilgrims who landed in the new
world. But when he began to research the
subject he really had no idea what these people endured, their triumphs and
tragedies.
When
I was in third grade I visited Plymouth Rock and the famous Plymouth
Plantation. The rock is encased in a
gazebo type structure to keep vandals from harming it. It is right on the coast where the ocean laps
up. I still remember the reenactment that was done at the Plantation. The
workers who acted out the life style of the people, helped to underscore the difficulty of
the immigrants. When I visited the rock
again in 2010 and then had time to enjoy the Plymouth museum I renewed my understanding once
again the hardship the people endured. The book discussed the hardship traversing the seas and
then building a colony.
The
meal the inhabitants ate, be they natural born or immigrants was not something that
just happened. The fact that they made
it through the harsh winter and had food to eat was a miracle in itself. Let
alone the fact they shared a meal of thanksgiving! If you have not taken time
to reflect on the meaning yet of this wonderful holiday; the past events that
allow us to celebrate and the things that make us truly thankful ourselves, I
hope you take the time.
Take
a chance to share with children simple stories about Thanksgiving. Even adults
enjoy these. Some you might be able to find on a library shelf would be: “Pete the Cat: The First
Thanksgiving by James Dean and Kimberly Dean; “What Is
Thanksgiving?” by Michelle Medlock Adams and Amy Wummer; “Over the
River and Through the Wood: The New England Boy's Song About Thanksgiving Day,”
by L. Maria Child and Matt Tavares.
