Thanks & Giving: All Year Long

By Marlo Thomas and Christopher Cerf

Book Overview

Did you ever
dream of talking to a mermaid?

Can you imagine
facing off with a bully who
barely reaches your knees?

What would you do
with a box of golden coins?

Have you ever
said thank you to...a button?

And how would you respond if you met a magic genie who asked you for a handout instead of granting you a wish?

Free to Be...You and Me creator Marlo Thomas has once again produced a joyful volume for children and the grown-ups in their lives. Reaching into the heads and hearts of our most acclaimed writers, artists, and performers, Thanks & Giving celebrates the best things in life -- family, friendship, giving, thankfulness, and love (and just for fun, a few of their opposites -- stinginess, bullying, ingratitude, and the occasional urge to stamp your feet and throw a fit).

From Tiger Woods and Maurice Sendak to Hilary Duff and Newbery Medalist Kate DiCamillo, this colorful collection of stories, poems, and songs will take readers on a lighthearted and thoughtful (but never overserious) adventure. Whether you're gazing at the brilliant child's-eye paintings of illustrator Eric Carle, or laughing out loud at the off-the-wall humor of Mel Brooks, you'll enjoy every step of the magical journey that the creators of Thanks & Giving have planned for you:

- Delight in Jon Scieszka and Lane Smith's fractured fable starring a mouse, a bird, and a sausage who learn all about sharing -- the hard way.

- Hold on tight as Rosie Perez recounts the tale of a little girl confronted with a heart-stopping decision.

- Rock along with Kevin and Michael Bacon's funky valentine to sibling rivalry and brotherly love.

- And laugh with Ray Romano as he reveals how his life was changed by a giant burrito.

Designed for both cover-to-cover reading and selective excerpting (when you can't refuse that last impassioned call for "One more story!" just before lights-out), this sparkling anthology also includes marvelous contributions from Avi, Shel Silverstein, Tom Chapin, Arthur creator Marc Brown, Matt Groening, Deepak Chopra, Donald Trump, Frankie Muniz, Walter Dean Myers, Paul Newman, Sumner Redstone, Jerry Pinkney, Whoopi Goldberg, Sonia Manzano, the Sesame Street Muppets, Julianne Moore, Ed Koren, Wendy Wasserstein, and Paul O. Zelinsky.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0689877323
• ISBN13: 9780689877322
• Release Date: April 2018
• Publisher: Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers
• Length: 96 Pages
• Weight: 1.35 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.5" x 8.8" x 11.2"
• Age Range: 6 to 12 years
• Grade Range: Grades 1 to 7

Customer Reviews

Quick and Great Service

Thanks & Giving Book and CD: All Year Long The seller has shipped the item very quickly. The book is new as seller describe. I am very happy with the purchase.

This book is a joy for all ages!

I loved THANKS & GIVING: ALL YEAR LONG, edited by Marlo Thomas and Christopher Cerf . . . and you will too, particularly if you have a young child or grandchild who never tires of a bedtime story. Yet that said, I should add that this book is also a joy for adults--if for just the magnificent illustrations from a variety of artists . . . the range of contributors is likewise impressive: from Shel Silverstein to Donald Trump and including Deepak Chopra, Paul Newman, and Whoopi Goldberg among others. You can read THANKS & GIVING straight through or do as I did; i.e., skip around . . . I guarantee that it will put a smile on your face, as well as anybody else you might choose to share it with--and I do encourage you to share it for maximum enjoyment. There were several memorable passages; among them: (from "Aunt Delia's Holiday Manners Quiz by Delia Ephron) It's time to go home. What's the best way to show everyone how much you love them? Give them each a big hug and a kiss and thank Aunt Delia for the delicious dinner. Say, "Some Thanksgiving. The only thing I liked was the white meat turkey." Say, "So long, Aunt Delia, Uncle Jerry, Grandma, Grandpa, Matt, Michelle, and Baldie. See you at Christmas. Bring big presents." (from "Thank you, Mrs. Abruzzi" by Ray Romano) When I was a kid, my father told me over and over again how important it was for me to get a good education. "Knowledge is power!" he would bellow. Whenever we talked about school or college, he'd scream it: "Knowledge is power!" Then he found out how much a college education costs. "On the other hand," he decided, "what you don't know won't hurt you!" (from "Presents I Have Known" by Frankie Muniz) STUPIDEST PRESENT I EVER GOT: One birthday all I wanted was a red wagon, just like any other three-year-old. Only problem: I was fourteen at the time. I thought it would be cool to put stuff in it and pull it around behind my bike. Wrong. You shoulda heard by friends. "Yo, dude, what's up with the red wagon?" Talk about embarrassing. Marlo Thomas and Friends--her contributors--have contributed all royalties from the book to St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, founded by her father, Danny Thomas, in 1962.

A nice collections of bedtime storries

"Thanks and Giving" contains a nice collection of stories, poems, and songs. The songs all need a piano, so we've not tried them. The stories & poems range from 1 to 3 pages and appropriate for a 2nd grade reading level or above. Some of the stories are nice, some are funny, some hit you over the head with the authors message, some are re-writes of very old stories that may or may not appeal, and "Teeny Meany" makes the villian sound too appealing. Overall, this is a nice bed-time book for children old enough to look at one picture for a few minutes while Mom (or child) reads 200 to 400 words. Most stories have a message that can be discussed. Unfortunately, the title & cover do not appeal to children. In my opinion, this book is "Good" quality but not "Excellent".

Entertaining, and Good Cause

Marlo Thomas has used her celebrity to organize a group of accomplished writers, artists, and actors to write stories about giving and being thankful. The 96 page picture book is ideal for elementary school readers, and is also suitable for reading to younger non-readers. Some of the featured writers include Avi, who has written numerous young adult novels worth checking out. Maurice Sendak is also featured, he's the artist/writer who created Where the Wild Things Are. According to the book description, Ms. Thomas has pledged to give the proceeds from this book to the St. Jude's Children Hospital. I believe this is in Memphis, and was founded by her father.