Thanks for Thanksgiving. (Scholastic Canada Reader Beginning Reader Level 1). Heather Patterson. Illustrated by Mary Jane Gerber. Toronto, ON: Scholastic Canada, 2013. 32 pp., pbk., $4.99. ISBN 978-1-4431-2834-6. Subject Heading: Children’s poetry, Canadian (English). Preschool-grade 1 / Ages 4-6. Review by Susan Barnabe. *** /4

excerpt:

Thanks for the warm fall sun.

Thanks for the outdoor fun.

Thanks for the blue fall sky and the sound of the birds’ good-bye.

Thanks for Thanksgiving is a brightly illustrated collection of a Canadian family’s Thanksgiving and the family’s activities. The text is comprised of poetic verse which would lend itself to a quick chant before a Thanksgiving gathering with friends and family.

     There is a definite pattern for young readers to follow. Some terms may be unknown but would quickly be learned with successive readings. The text includes colourful leaves, apple picking and street hockey.

     The book is one of a collection of easy readers by Scholastic Canada. It is designated as a Level 1-Beginning Reader. Various levels to assist matching text and reader are indicated on the back cover. These include grade range, guided reading level 1, and a Lexile level of AD190L. Lexiles, a computerized readability formula to determine text difficulty, are based on sentence length and word frequency.

     The book is rich with warm illustrations which, at times, break the sentence pattern into shorter phrases for reading. The text is clearly designed for the verse rather than simple sentences and words to read for beginning readers.

     This being stated, Thanks for Thanksgiving is a lovely book to share with readers. The enjoyment of the simple rhyme and the pleasant visuals would be an annual treat for parent and child.

     A note to teachers and parents that follows the text provides background information via a brief historical outline of Thanksgiving in Canada.

Recommended.

Susan Barnabe, a retired teacher and reading clinician, lives in Winnipeg, MB.

To comment on this title or this review, send mail to cm@umanitoba.ca.

Copyright © the Manitoba Library Association. Reproduction for personal use is permitted only if this copyright notice is maintained. Any other reproduction is prohibited without permission.

Published by The Manitoba Library Association ISSN 1201-9364

Hosted by the University of Manitoba.

 

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