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Searching... R.H. Stafford Library (Woodbury) | EASY HIN | Searching... Unknown |
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Summary
Summary
President Abraham Lincoln's youngest son, Tad, is very fond of Jack the turkey. He has tamed him and taught him tricks, and the bird follows him all around the White House yard. But Jack was meant to be the main dish of the first official Thanksgiving celebration.
Tad doesn't want his pet to be eaten for dinner, not even for a day as special as Thanksgiving! Can he convince his father to save Jack's life?
Author Notes
Gary Hines grew up in the Cascade Mountains of northern California. A former ranger for the United States Forest Service, he is the author of several books, including A Christmas Tree in the White House . He lives with his wife, author and illustrator Anna Grossnickle-Hines, in northern California.
Alexander Wallneris the illustrator of A Christmas Tree in the White House and numerous other picture books about famous historical figures. A graduate of Pratt Institute of New York City, she lives in Maine with her husband, illustrator John Wallner.
Reviews (4)
School Library Journal Review
K-Gr 3-The author/illustrator team that created A Christmas Tree in the White House (Holt, 1998) has set another holiday story in the presidential mansion. Young Tad Lincoln, horrified to learn that his tame turkey is destined to be served at the Thanksgiving feast, begs his father to pardon his pet. This fictionalized account of a true incident is filled with tidbits about Tad's known antics in the White House-charging visitors tolls, setting up a fruit stand, and discharging a toy cannonball into the Cabinet Room door. They add touches of humor to the tale, as do the stylized gouache illustrations. A few of Wallner's paintings are inconsistent in proportion or perspective, but give the overall impression of charming folk art. An informational section at the end features a photograph of Lincoln with his son and explains that, though much of the story is invented, Tad's exploits were legendary; those mentioned in the book are based on actual accounts. A brief explanation of the Civil War and description of Abraham Lincoln's life and presidency are appended. Pair this with Laurie Halse Anderson's Thank You, Sarah: The Woman Who Saved Thanksgiving (S & S, 2002) to give students an overview of 1863, the year Thanksgiving was declared a national holiday.-Laurie Edwards, West Shore School District, Camp Hill, PA (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Publisher's Weekly Review
The team behind Christmas in the White House, which was set during Teddy Roosevelt's term, takes readers back to 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue for the very first official Thanksgiving celebration, as proclaimed by Abraham Lincoln, in Thanksgiving in the White House by Gary Hines, illus. by Alexandra Wallner. Readers view events through the eyes of the president's beloved son Tad, a mischief-maker with good intentions. (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved
Horn Book Review
This account of the first declared national Thanksgiving holiday is a fictionalized look at a moment in history. Tad Lincoln, youngest son of the president, becomes fond of the turkey the First Family plans to eat and convinces his father to spare the bird's life. The story and detailed paintings give readers a good sense of the period and an introduction to the Civil War. Notes give additional background information. From HORN BOOK Spring 2004, (c) Copyright 2010. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Booklist Review
Gr. 1-3. Hines travels back in history to the White House in November of 1863, the year Abraham Lincoln officially declared Thanksgiving a national holiday. Young Tad, the mischievous but good-hearted son of the President, is the principal character here, campaigning to save his pet turkey from the holiday chopping block and trying his best to help some of the many petitioners in line to see his father about a lost or fallen victim of the Civil War. Wallner's typically crisp, precisely detailed gouache illustrations, which vary nicely between spot art and full-page pictures, are pleasing, if a little stiff this time around--as is Hine's surprisingly nondramatic narrative. Still, this story, based on actual events (though some have been changed and dialogue is fiction), provides curious children with a framework for understanding how Thanksgiving came about. More information about Tad and the Civil War appears in two brief appended notes. --Stephanie Zvirin Copyright 2003 Booklist
