My wife, Denise Kiernan, launches a new book today. This title marks the third book in a row that she has written on the subject of Thanksgiving and gratitude. The first was for adults, the second was a picture book for little kids, and the new one is for middle grade students.
Up front, let me say that these books have very little to do with the retelling of the story of the Pilgrims and their encounter with Native Americans in 1621. That story has been told about as many times as it has been debunked.
No—Denise’s books focus primarily on how Thanksgiving became a holiday in the United States. It’s centered on the fascinating story of Sarah Josepha Hale, an influential 19th-century magazine editor who lobbied five U.S. presidents to get Turkey Day declared as an official federal holiday. All the presidents ignored her but one: Abraham Lincoln, in the midst of the Civil War that nearly destroyed a nation.
What I love about this story are all the rich elements. The Civil War. An exhausted president. A dogged crusading editor. And all the artists and writers that played a role in shaping how Americans came to visualize the holiday. It’s also probably the only recent book that tells the somewhat unbelievable story of the bizarre bond between the dainty, so-called Mother of Thanksgiving, and America’s first creepmeister, Edgar Allan Poe! I won’t spoil it for you.
Here are all the books in one place. Please to look! Please to buy!
Denise Kiernan’s Thanksgiving Family Read
We Gather Together: A Nation Divided, A President in Turmoil, and a Historic Campaign to Embrace Gratitude and Grace
Narrative Nonfiction for Adults
Dutton/PRH
ISBN-13: 978-0593183250
“Packed with vivid character sketches, intriguing historical tidbits, and lucid meditations on the psychology of giving thanks, this unique chronicle casts the holiday in a new light.”—Publisher’s Weekly
We Gather Together: Stories of Thanksgiving from then to now
Young Reader’s Edition
Philomel/PRH
Ages 8-12; Grades 3-7
ISBN-13: 978-0593404386
“In this provocative, longform approach to celebrating all things Thanksgiving, Kiernan’s take on the holiday is revised now for younger audiences. It is thoroughly researched, both political and personal, as well as steadfastly invested in ensuring the legacy of Sarah Josepha Hale, the oft-forgotten mother of the holiday.”—The Bulletin of the Center for Children’s Books
Giving Thanks: How Thanksgiving Became a National Holiday
Picture Book, with illustrations by Jamey Christoph
Philomel/PRH
Ages 4-8; Preschool-Grade 3
ISBN-13: 978-0593404416
“A great addition to any library...shares a new side of the story of Thanksgiving.”—School Library Journal