If You Were At the First Thanksgiving by Anne Kamma

This could be thought of as a rather long picture book or a very short chapter book. It contains 49 “chapters” that are about one page each and they each answer a question about the first Thanksgiving. Some of the questions include “Why did the Pilgrims come to America?”, “Were Pilgrim parents strict?”, “Who made Thanksgiving a national holiday?”, “Were there also special days for thanking God?”, “Who was in charge of cooking?”, “What did the Pilgrims wear?”, “Would you eat turkey?”, “Did they drink beer at the First Thanksgiving?”, What did the Pilgrims and Indians do after they ate?”, and many more.

This little book has so much information packed inside! I love the way they wrote it, answering questions that your child would likely have about the first Thanksgiving. I learned new things after reading this book too! Each question is answered in a concise and easy-to-understand way for children with interesting details included. I think you and your children will greatly enjoy this little book. I also appreciate how the author includes many times the importance of the Pilgrim’s faith belief in God. It’s out of print, so it might be harder to find, but check your library or favorite used book vendor. Do be aware that they address children drinking beer since beer was very different then and they refer to the Native Americans as Indians.

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1. What questions do you still have about the First Thanksgiving?
2. Where could you find the answer to those questions?
3. What surprised you most about the First Thanksgiving?
4. Was it much different than you expected?