Sharing the Bread: An Old-Fashioned Thanksgiving Story

Miller’s Wherever You Go showcased her talent for creating pitch-perfect rhymes, and that skill is just as present in this portrait of a family in 19th-century America, as they prepare their Thanksgiving feast. The narration is essentially a set of orders being delivered by the family’s young son, but when his commands are this sweet (“Grandpa, cook the berries please./ Boil those bright red berries, please./ Add some lemon—just a squeeze./ Grandpa, cook them, please.”), who can begrudge him? McElmurry’s gouache paintings exude familial affection: the boy’s mother and father sneak loving glances of each other in the midst of the preparations, and the boy takes a moment to peer at his baby sibling, sleeping “snug and happy in our house.” This is a warm and wonderful holiday treasure. Ages 4–8. [em]Author’s agent: Ammi-Joan Paquette, Erin Murphy Literary Agency. Illustrator’s agent: Marcia Wernick, Wernick & Pratt Agency. (Sept.) [/em]