THE STORY OF THANKSGIVING
by Robert Merrill Bartlett & illustrated by Sally Wern Comport
Comport (Brave Margaret, 1999) furnishes bright new illustrations for Bartlett’s basic introduction to the holiday’s origins and formalization (Thanksgiving Day, 1965). Though it has plenty of competition now, the text holds up well; rightly noting that our Thanksgiving arose through a mixture of harvest festival traditions, Bartlett takes readers from ancient customs, through the first Wampanoag/Pilgrim gathering and the celebration’s gradual spread in this country, to its official institution by President Lincoln. The impressionistic paintings feature idealized figures, plus plenty of smiles and food; a song and a recipe for pumpkin muffins close this still-spry assignment title. (Nonfiction. 7-9)