"The First National Thanksgiving"

Today's mail brought a note from another old friend, Eric Sandblade, who wrote "We in York think we created Thanksgiving as evidenced by two enclosed recent newspaper articles."
I noted the 12/18/1777 event on p. 35 of Thanksgiving: The True Story. For additional information here's a link to June Lloyd's article, "First National Thanksgiving Proclaimed in York in 1777. http://ydr.inyork.com/ydr/opinion/ci_11053199
Here's a link to a photograph by Beverly Pfingsten of the historic marker:
http://www.hmdb.org/marker.asp?marker=4549

Happy Thanksgiving!

Happy Thanksgiving! My son David & his wife are spending Thanksgiving week in Colorado with old friends. Today when they called to wish us a Happy Thanksgiving, David exuberantly described seeing a huge herd of elk grazing in Rocky Mountain National Park. He and 8-year-old Bevan and 3-year-old Lyndall & their father Richard joined with other people who were peacefully walking among the peaceful elk! In New Jersey, we took a walk in the woods and came upon a rafter of wild turkeys--15 in all.
(click on picture for larger image)
My book Thanksgiving: The True Story put me back in touch with Bob Schaeffer, an old friend, really old as in we had play dates, before they were called play dates, in the early 1950s. Here is a link to his column in The East Hampton Press.
http://www.27east.com/story_print.cfm?id=180357

On Tues. 11/18/20 I did an interview via email with Glenn Evans, a reporter for the Longview News-Journal, Longview, Texas. You can read his piece at http://www.news-journal.com/search/content/features/stories/2008/11/19/11192008_truly_thankful.html
Check out the very cool "click-2-listen" feature at the top of the article "Table Talk: Experts discuss the origins of Thanksgiving traditions."
In the last paragraph, the reporter misattributed a quote from me to "Oliver," and the newspaper printed a correction in Friday's paper. I relate that incident because educators/librarians frequently ask me about "accuracy," i.e. how to ensure it, check for it, etc. There's no surefire way, I reply, because unintended things--new discoveries, mistakes, etc.--happen to even scrupulous writers. So, check, double-check, & maintain a healthy skepticism.
Elizabeth Bird, senior children's librarian, New York Public Library, posted a review at http://www.schoollibraryjournal.com/blog/1790000379/post/1070036907.html
Check out what Jeremy Brunaccioni wrote at: http://blogs.scholastic.com/kid_lit/2008/11/picture-book--2.html
Fran Hawk at http://www.charleston.net/news/2008/nov/25/ideas_make_children_feel_special62882/
Terri Schlichenmeyer at: http://tri-statedefenderonline.com/articlelive/articles/3317/1/Book-Review-Thanksgiving-The-True-Story/Page1.html

Jen Robinson's review

For some time, I have recommend Jen Robinson as the go-to person for insightful & terrifically written reviews of children's books. Because I admire her intelligence and thoroughness, I was thrilled to read her review of Thanksgiving: The True Story. Here is the link:
http://jkrbooks.typepad.com/blog2008/11/thanksgiving-the-true-story-penny-colman.html

On teaching about Thanksgiving

The technology worked--mostly--during the Skype conversation yesterday. As always, it was interesting and fun to talk with readers/teachers about my process for writing nonfiction books, in this case Thanksgiving: The True Story. I'm about to leave for San Antonio, Texas, to present at the master class, The Potential of Nonfiction, at the National Council of the Teachers of English, but I wanted to quickly follow up on a question from a 1st grade teacher re how to teach Thanksgiving in light of my book.
There are multi-entry points: e.g.
*Harvest festivals, in particular page 25-29, on p. 26-27 I point out that the Wampanoag celebrated harvest festivals throughout the year & give thanks every day;
*Sarah Josepha Hale & her campaign to get Thanksgiving declared a national holiday (chapter 3);
*Traditional gathering of family & friends (chapter 5);
*Food, including a discussion about regional and ethnic contributions to the traditional Thanksgiving menu that I describe on pages 109-119;
*Changing activities (chapter chapter 6);
*Many meaning (chapter 8); what Thanksgiving means for some Native Americans, including the Day of Mourning that I discuss on pp. 73-74, ill. p. 76;
*Emergence of the iconic "Pilgrim & Indian" story (chapter 4); ), etc.
*Any one of the illustrations could also serve as a springboard for a discussion of Thanksgiving.
*Fascinating tidbits such as the the story of Fantasticals, the first parade, first professional football game, and a ball where dancers wore vegetable costumes.
*Etc.

Skype conversation

Today I'm having a conversation via Skype with graduate students in Jan Kristo's children's literature class. A professor of Reading and Language Arts, University of Maine, Jan teaches this course off site in Pittsfield, Maine. All the students have read Thanksgiving: The True Story. In an email Jan wrote that they will be particularly interested in my research process.
She also wrote that gkisedtanamoogk, a Wampanoag from Mashpee, MA, who teaches Native American studies at the University of Maine, will be attending the class. In an earlier discussion with Jan's class he spoke about "the view from the ship versus the view from the land." His name is pronounced Key set TAH NAH mook (with a long o sound). We're scheduled to talk for an hour, although I'm certain we could happily talk much longer--it's all so fascinating! This is my first Skype conversation so fingers crossed that the technology works! (Yes, I did a trial call last week.)

Book talk

Everyone is welcome to attend my PowerPoint book talk Thanksgiving: The True Story at Teachers College, Columbia University
Tues, Nov. 18th, 4-6 p.m. (don't worry about coming in late)
Room 309 on the 3rd floor of Gottesman Library

Note: enter TC at the main entrance on 120th street, turn right & walk down the hall to the library.

Ellipses

We had a lively discussion in my Issues in Children's Literature class at Queens College about the use of ellipses. It seems that young writers are being taught to use ellipses to indicate increasing tension, a use that was new to me. Several of the teachers in the class, reported that students fill their writing with ellipses; but, why not--it's easier than creating the effect through actual writing! Today I checked out Grammar Girl: http://grammar.quickanddirtytips.com/ellipsis.aspx

She cites The Chicago Manual of Style. I double-checked my copy, the 15th edition:
11.45 Faltering or interrupted speech. Ellipsis points may be used to suggest faltering or fragmented speech accompanied by confusion or insecurity. In the examples below, note the relative positions of the ellipsis points and other punctuation. (For ellipsis points used to represent omitted text, see 11.51-65.)

"I. . . I . . . that is, we . . . yes, we have made an awful blunder!"
"The ship . . . oh my God! . . .it's sinking!" cried Henrietta.
"But . . . but . . .," said Tom.

TV interview

Yesterday Joanne Santiglia, a top-notch reporter for NY1, came to my house to interview me about Thanksgiving: The True Story. I'm always a bit on edge before interviews, worried about answering questions crisply etc. but Joanne--knowing that one of my books is Rosie the Riveter: Women Working on the Home Front in World War II--started off by sharing her excitement from the day before about filming the Veterans' Day ceremony in Fort Lee, NJ, where the VFW honored women war workers! Then she said she was "enchanted by the turkeys on the cover" of Thanksgiving & we were off and running. Thanks Joanne! In the picture, she is setting up the shot. Hummm, I'm trying to link to her story about the women war workers but it's not working--you can find it at www.ny1.com, click on "nj news"

The Election, 2008

Yippppeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee! Jonathan took Sophie with him to vote. When we arrived for dinner & election-watching, she exuberantly announced that she voted!
"For whom," I asked--"Obama," she replied.
There are many exciting aspects of the election results. In my classes at Queens College, CUNY, last night, I was delighted by the reports from my students--many classroom teachers & one middle school librarian--of the energy & excitement of their young students! Keep them engaged, I said, design projects, lessons, etc. that involve them/educate them about the process of transition. e.g. how/why/who BO appoints--engaged, informed citizens are the lifeblood of democracy!!!! I also talked about/honored the black & white women of the civil rights movement--Fannie Lou Hamer, Ella Baker, Septima Clark, Joan Browing, Virginia Durr, Pauli Murray, etc. FYI: my 32-page biography, Fannie Lou Hamer and the Fight For the Vote is out-of-print, but available from on-line bookstores & in libraries. My chapter "Mary Mcleod Bethune: Passionate Educator," including the story of her dramatic election night confrontation with the Klu Klux Klan is in Adventurous Women: Eight True Stories About Women Who Made a Difference. Also check out Women of the Civil Rights Movement by Linda Barrett Osborne; it's accessible & loaded with photographs. For a longer read, get Freedom's Daughters: The Unsung Heroines of the Civil Rights Movement from 1830 to 1970 by Lynne Olson in full of inspiring true stories. Both AW & FD are in print & available from local and on-line bookstores & libraries.

Book Festival & VOTE

I was on panel on Writing about Writing & Girls in History at the 3rd Annual Delaware Book Festival.
Check out the "Thank you for coming to the Delaware Book Festival" treat that I, and other authors/illustrators, found in our hotel room. Yes, it's a white and milk chocolate box filled with M & Ms!!!! (I "posed" it to show the inside.) The terrific festival was sponsored by the Delaware Division of Libraries, Delaware Center for the Book. The chocolate was delicious!!!
Tomorrow is election day--VOTEVOTEVOTEVOTEVOTEVOTE
We're watching returns with Sophie, her parents, and her other grandparents who are visiting from Zurich, Switzerland.