The Thanksgiving Story by Alice Dalgliesh

The historical context of this picture book makes it worthy of the Caldecott Honor it was given in 1955. Author Alice Dalgleish and illustrator Helen Sewell have portrayed the struggle of a pilgrim family as they leave their home in England to begin their trek to a new, unknown homeland. After a harrowing journey aboard the Mayflower, the Hopkins family encounters countless challenges when arriving in New Plymouth (so named because they had set sail from Plymouth, England.) Eventually, the settlers sought help from the Native Americans and with hard work constructed seven small houses, one of which became home for the Hopkins family. This children’s book is a solid introduction to one aspect of our nation’s beginning and young readers should find it compelling as they learn how difficult it was for these new settlers to even survive. Readers will learn “only sailors can be out on the deck while sails were being set,” and how families made charcoal fires in an iron box to cook their “bi