The Perfect Thanksgiving

By Eileen Spinelli

Book Overview

" Our smoke alarm is wailing. Our turkey, burnt as toast. Dad spills the gravy down his shirt- a less-than-perfect host". Enter two families who couldn't be more opposite. Family one seems just perfect-with a plump golden turkey, gorgeous whipped cream swirls atop their pie, and lace napkins on the table. Family two, on the other hand, seems far from it! The turkey burns, the Jell-O wiggles and jiggles right to the floor, and Dad's shirt serves as napkin. What could these two very different families possibly have in common? Full of whimsy, good spirit, and certainly familial love, this laugh-aloud picture book is sure to add spice to any Thanksgiving feast.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0805065318
• ISBN13: 9780805065312
• Release Date: September 2003
• Publisher: Henry Holt & Company
• Length: 32 Pages
• Weight: 0.82 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.3" x 9.0" x 11.1"
• Age Range: 4 to 7 years
• Grade Range: Preschool to Grade 2

Customer Reviews

Loved it!

I checked this book out from the library for my kids and now I am buying a copy to keep. This book is fantastic. The message my kids got from this book is that it doesn't matter if your family isn't perfect, as long as you are together Thanksgiving is perfect. The book goes back and forth between a "perfect" family's Thanksgiving and a "not-perfect" family's Thanksgiving. I think it is important that children understand that no one's family is perfect, not even at Thanksgiving. In response to the teacher that hated the book, maybe it would have been appropriate to pre-read the book and to have some answers ready for possible questions. We think the book is great!

A lesson to learn

What a nice message sent through colorful pictures, plenty of jokes, and the cutest of poems. The lesson to learn is how each of us are alike. While the kids think they are just reading an exciting new book, little do they know they are subtly learning as well. Thank you for writing this adorable book for our kids to read!

The Perfect Book for The Perfect Thanksgiving

What a perfect book to read to the kids on Thanksgiving. This book shows that we are all the same on the inside even if we are different on the outside. This is the message we need to be sending to our children. I have many nieces and nephews, lots of friends with children, and three of my own. The kids really loved this story!

Light-hearted study in contrasts

An attentive little girl compares Thanksgiving at her own home and that of Abigail Archer, whose family "is perfect in every way":"Their turkey is plump and golden.Their napkins are made of lace.Their table is lit with candles.They all hold hands for grace."In her house, the smoke alarm wails, sister slurps and uncle burps. Instead of homemade pie with fancy whipped-cream swirls, they have a Jell-O mold that wiggles off its plate and onto the floor.Lighthearted paper-collage illustrations contrast the serenity of one family with the pandemonium of the other. Despite their differences, however, both families are alike in their love for one another.

Cute as can be!

As a mom with many imperfect Thanksgivings behind me, I loved this book! The images of both the perfect and imperfect Thanksgivings were great. Kids probably won't "get" all of it, but the best children's writing (not to mention cartoons) always has a few inside jokes to keep us grownups interested. You will not find a more fun book about Thanksgiving.