Thanks & Giving: All Year Long
Gr. 3-5, younger for reading aloud. Thomas has assembled a list of luminaries to write (or draw) about the title theme, including the biggest names in children's literature--among them, Avi, Kate DiCamillo, and Eric Carle--as well as stars from the entertainment world, such as Ray Romano, Mel Brooks, and Paul Newman. As in any anthologies, the quality varies from piece to piece. The best are quite memorable. Maurice Sendak's "Give and Take," featuring his signature monster, is a wordless tribute to sharing, as is Mo Willems' cartoon about a dog and squirrel making sure neither is hungry. Deepak Chopra writes poignantly about his daughter carrying on a family tradition of feeding the hungry. Some writers, such as Wendy Wasserstein, write right over kids' heads to adult readers. Despite the unevenness, this is an exceedingly handsome book with enough stories, songs, poems, and beautifully reproduced art to make it a worthy purchase--especially since the proceeds go to St. Jude Children's Research Hospital.Ilene CooperCopyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved