Thanksgiving for Emily Ann

It may be Thanksgiving, but a girl named Emily Ann is feeling downright Grinchlike: “There was food to be cooked/ and chores to be done./ With everyone busy/ there was no time for fun.” Emily is just about to “play a funny trick”—hiding the turkey—when her mother mistakes her mischief for helpfulness. That compliment, along with seeing her homemade place mats on the table and her large family gathered together, are enough make Emily Ann realize, “They really didn’t matter,/ all her Thanksgiving woes.” Brantley-Newton’s exude holiday bustle and family warmth, which help carry the story through a few verbal contortions created in pursuit of a rhyme. Ages 3–5. Illustrator’s agent: Lori Nowicki, Painted Words. (Aug.)