Thank You, Sarah: The Woman Who Saved Thanksgiving

by Laurie Halse Anderson, Matt Faulkner (Illustrator)

From the author of Speak and Fever, 1793 , comes the never-before-told tale of Sarah Josepha Hale, the extraordinary "lady editor" who made Thanksgiving a national holiday!

Thanksgiving might have started with a jubilant feast on Plymouth's shore. But by the 1800s America's observance was waning. None of the presidents nor Congress sought to revive the holiday. And so one invincible "lady editor" name Sarah Hale took it upon herself to rewrite the recipe for Thanksgiving as we know it today. This is an inspirational, historical, all-out boisterous tale about perseverance and In 1863 Hale's thirty-five years of petitioning and orations got Abraham Lincoln thinking. He signed the Thanksgiving Proclamation that very year, declaring it a national holiday. This story is a tribute to Hale, her fellow campaigners, and to the amendable government that affords citizens the power to make the world a better place!

Genres: Picture Books, Thanksgiving, Nonfiction, History, Biography, Holiday, Childrens

40 pages, Hardcover

First published October 1, 2002

About the author

UPDATE! Rebellion 1776 is out! The New York Times wrote, "Filled with immersive detail, expert delineations of complex characters, and both harsh and loving reality, Rebellion 1776 provides young readers with a true experience of a historic moment in time that resonates with today's world." Huzzah!

Laurie Halse Anderson is the New York Times-bestselling author of many award-winning books including the groundbreaking, modern classic Speak, a National Book Award finalist which has sold over 3.5 million copies and been translated into 35 languages.

In 2023, Anderson was named the Laureate of the Astrid Lindgren Memorial Award, long considered to be the de facto 'Nobel Prize for Children's Literature.'

A passionate spokesperson for the need to combat censorship, she has been honored for her battles for intellectual freedom by the National Coalition Against Censorship and the National Council of Teachers of English. She lives near Philadelphia. Go Birds!

Follow Laurie on Bluesky at @halseanderson.bsky.social, Instagram at halseanderson, and Facebook at lauriehalseanderson, or by visiting her website, madwomanintheforest.com.

Reviews

[Calista · Rating 5 out of 5]

"Never Underestimate Dainty little ladies!" So begins the tale of Sarah Hale, a real superhero.

She fought for playgrounds, kids, schools for girls, and historical monuments. She composed Mary had a Little Lamb - news to me. She was the first female Magazine Editor in America.

Thanksgiving was almost forgotten in this country and it's only because of her persistence and writing letters to 5 presidents that Thanksgiving became a holiday during the civil war. 4 presidents told her no. She felt having a day of thankfulness was good for the country and it could help bring us back together.

I love the artwork in this story. It's amazing. I love how the presidents are these huge larger than life heads that Sarah is petitioning. It is quite an image.

This was on a wait list at the library since the beginning of November and I just got it. I'm reviewing it anyway. It's one of my favorite Thanksgiving books I read this year. It's fabulous.

Both of the children enjoyed it too. The Niece gave it 5 stars and the nephew gave it 4 stars. He liked the floating balloon dinosaur at the end.

The pen is mightier than the sword is a quote used over and over in this story and for Sarah, it's very true. She did a lot of good for this country.

[Kathryn · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very neat story, interesting history lesson for kids (and adults who, like me, are not up with their Sarah Hale lessons!) Especially great around this time of year--could you imagine if we didn't celebrate Thanksgiving anymore? Or if only certain states did? Oh-my! Thank you, Sarah (and President Lincoln!) Also a good story about what persistence and spirit can do--how one woman's constant letters saved this holiday. (And especially inspiring considering most women of her time were not empowered.) A few of the phrases seemed a bit too colloquial for me, and the illustrations were not really my cup of tea, but this is a great concept and a story that should be shared with youngsters.

[Nikki Glassley · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have a Thanksgiving problem.

I LOVE Thanksgiving. That's not the problem.

I am invited each year to visit grade school classrooms to read stories and do crafts before Thanksgiving. That's not the problem either.

The problem is Thanksgiving has a shit history. Colonial America, as a whole, kind of has a shit history. How do I celebrate a holiday with children while respecting the actual nature of the relationship between pilgrims and the Native Americans?

Mostly by completely ignoring it.

Thank You, Sarah let's me do just that! It is a great story of the woman who helped make Thanksgiving a national holiday and nothing else. As a visiting librarian, it's not my job to make sure that these kids have a clear picture of the history of Thanksgiving, but I do consider it my job not to play into the comfortable narrative of Pilgrims + Native Americans + BFF.

[Victoria · Rating 3 out of 5]

A fun little conversational history book. However, the author removed any hint of Christianity from the origins of Thanksgiving. I suspect the life of Sarah Hale received the same treatment. I'd like to learn more about her from another source because I'm guessing she's even cooler than Anderson gave her credit for.

[Mariah Roze · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was GREAT! And so educational. My students and myself learned a lot :)

[Abigail · Rating 3 out of 5]

Author Laurie Halse Anderson, herself a descendant of Sarah Josepha Hale, whose story is set out in this work of picture-book history, opens her narrative by informing the reader that we, Americans, almost lost Thanksgiving. Increasingly a regional holiday, in the nineteenth century Thanksgiving was largely celebrated in New England, but had been abandoned elsewhere. But one woman, the eponymous Sarah Hale, wasn't happy with that, and launched a letter writing campaign to make Thanksgiving a national holiday. Over the course of thirty-eight years, Sarah used her pen to write thousands of letters - to multiple Presidents, to other politicians, to the general public - until eventually, in 1863, at the height of the American Civil War, President Lincoln finally made Thanksgiving a holiday for everyone...

I found Thank You, Sarah: The Woman Who Saved Thanksgiving both informative and entertaining, and imagine that the intended audience would as well. The role of Sarah Hale in preserving Thanksgiving, and making it into the national holiday we celebrate today, is not generally known, I do not think, so Anderson's book is most welcome. Most "histories" of the holiday that I have encountered focus on how it all got going - the ubiquitous Pilgrims and Indians story - but this is more about how the day came to be so widely celebrated. Anderson barely scratches the surface of the many things Hale did in her long life - raising five children, working as an author and editor, writing "Mary Had a Little Lamb" - but there is an extensive afterword that gives more information, and a significant list of sources and further reading ideas. The accompanying artwork by Matt Faulker wasn't really to my taste, although I did find that I preferred the more historical nineteenth-century scenes to the contemporary "mash-up" ones featuring turkeys, Pilgrims and Indians, and people watching television. All in all, an interesting book, one I would recommend to those looking for children's stories about Thanksgiving, or about the changes citizens can effect, simply through persistance and letter writing.

[Ben Truong · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thank You, Sarah: The Woman Who Saved Thanksgiving is a children's picture book written by Laurie Halse Anderson and illustrated by Matt Faulkner. This tale of a little-known historical heroine touts the power of the pen and persistence. Since today is (Canadian) Thanksgiving (11 October 2021), I thought it would be apropos to read this book today.

Sarah Josepha Buell Hale was an American writer, activist, and an influential editor. She was the author of the nursery rhyme "Mary Had a Little Lamb". Hale famously campaigned for the creation of the American holiday known as Thanksgiving, and for the completion of the Bunker Hill Monument.

Anderson's text is rather simplistic, straightforward, and informative. With an irreverent tone that play up past Americans' laissez-faire attitude, Anderson chart the progress of Sarah Hale, whose relentless letters and thirty-eight years of petitioning presidents, secured Thanksgiving's status as a national holiday. Backmatter includes a bibliography of sources. Faulkner illustrates this rousing account with crowds of caricatured celebrants in buckskins, football equipment, and every style of dress in between.

The premise of the book is rather straightforward. It is a humorous and flippant take into the woman who saved Thanksgiving. It launches into a portrait of a 19th-century supermom, novelist, educator, magazine editor, widowed mother of five, eloquent supporter of many social causes and the author of "Mary Had a Little Lamb". This dainty woman who took on four Presidents in succession before finding one, Lincoln, who agreed with her that Thanksgiving, which had been largely a northeastern holiday, should be celebrated nationwide.

All in all, Thank You, Sarah: The Woman Who Saved Thanksgiving is a wonderful and humorous biography of a woman that saved Thanksgiving.

[Nancy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Text-to-Teaching Connection

This book is written in a very engaging manner, the illustrations in it are really intriguing. Sarah Hale wrote a lot of letters trying to convince the Federal government that Thanksgiving should be a national holiday. She wrote President James Buchanan, but he had other things on his mind. The illustration of James Buchanan is really clever, it is a closeup view of his head with abolitionists on top on one side of his parted hairline, and secessionists on the other side of his head.
Nothing stopped Sarah from writing her letters, not even the civil war, until finally, Abraham Lincoln made Thanksgiving a national holiday. The facts at the end of the book are really interesting and I was surprised to read that Sarah Hale wrote a book, the nursery rhyme "Mary Had a Little Lamb," and worked for a woman's magazine the Ladies Magazine, but she didn't agree with women's suffrage or that men and women should be equal.

I would use this book to discuss with my students how to change their world. We could start with a discussion about what we would like to change, then we could find out who we need to talk to about creating that change.

Then we could start writing letters to the person, perhaps the principal of the school? Or our county commissioner? We could also ask someone from the state legislature, or our local congressional representative to come visit our class.

[Sarah · Rating 5 out of 5]

i bought this book on a whim while on holiday in boston - good souvenir to share with my students i thought. turns out to be a perfect book for teaching persuasive writing, or even just writing in general, or just pursuing dreams. this woman (sarah hale) was amazing. the style of the book is a hoot - better for older readers like 5th grade on up sort of thing. my 10th graders loved it. i just wish writers would stop using words like "hoe" in books for kids - without fail my students would snicker at that word and the power of the ideas would get lost. so if you read it aloud in a classroom maybe you'll want to think of another word to use in its place.

[Josiah · Rating 2 out of 5]

This is an excellent picture book. Using very little space, Laurie Halse Anderson paints a convincing picture of an important American woman who has been largely forgotten over time. I had never heard Sarah Hale's story, and found it to be a strong testimonial to the power of one person to alter the course of history and affect hearts and minds for an important cause. I'm impressed by the fresh telling of this story, and by the historical tidbits sprinkled throughout the text.

[Jacqueline · Rating 3 out of 5]

Nice art, somewhat simplified story with some iffy facts in it. The source notes while interesting are out of order focusing more on the "fun" aspects of Thanksgiving then the books subject Sarah Hale. However it is better then the Squanto book I just read hence the three stars.

[Kari Doering · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thank you Sarah the woman who saved Thanksgiving is written by Laurie Halse Anderson and talks about the struggles she had to go through to save Thanksgiving. The book started out with a question" you think you know everything about thanksgiving don't you?" and how the Native Americans saved the Pilgrims from starving. As the starving pilgrims waited in line most of them had happy faces and the color of the picture is bright and clear how they felt. As the pilgrims were sitting down for their feast and celebrating there faces were happy and enjoying the food. One of them said" well listen up. I have a news flash we almost lost Thanksgiving." The look on the faces went from happy to sad and the story began with how Thanksgiving was fading away. But was still being celebrated in New Egland but not other sates like the South, west, and not even in the Middle Atlantic states it was just fading away. The pictures show that the color is good but not a bright. The pages also bleed together making it one continues picture. The pilgrims knew that they needed a real superhero.
So now starts the true story about how Sarah the Woman who saves Thanksgiving starts. The picture has bright colors but you can tell it was from the olden days when the story really began. At first when the pilgrims saw Sarah they said we need a bold and brave stubborn and smart superhero. She looked nothing like a superhero but just old dainty lady. As the story continues and the pictures got brighter she was every inch a superhero not only did she fight for Thanksgiving but she fought for playgrounds at schools, she argued against spanking, corsets and bloomers and bustles and historical
monuments for everyone and very serious things like slavery. She continued to raise her 5 children, write novels and biographies along with many more things. Sarah was very bold,brave,stubborn and smart but she had a secret weapon. Her secret wepon was a pen with that she could write about what she did not like and persuaded people to make the world a better place. As Thanksgiving was her favorite celebration.When people started to ignore her she became upset and started to write letters to the politicians and to her readers for help to make Thanksgiving a national holiday. As the woman of America listened they started to also write the politicians. They listened and one by one each state started to make Thanksgiving a holiday. But that still was not good enough for Sarah so she went to the top. As Sarah continued to write letters she wrote to the President but he refused but it did not stop Sarah. As she continued to write to the Presidents the pictures got brighter and the faces of the president got more detailed until Sarah could see everything going wrong. America was at war and the north was fighting against the south and the country was falling apart and was a very scary time. This did not stop Sarah she just wrote to President Lincoln and sent it in the mail and that was in 1863 they made Thanksgiving a national holiday. So in the end the people in the pictures were happy and so was Sarah.

[Dolly · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is an entertaining and conversational picture book that details the life of Sarah Hale, the woman responsible for writing thousands of letters to state and federal leaders in support of various causes and policies.

She encouraged five different Presidents of the United States to establish the last Thursday in November as a national holiday celebrating Thanksgiving, and President Lincoln finally granted her wish.

The narrative is fun to read aloud and serves as an empowering and motivating story for children, especially girls. I like that her persistence is highlighted, and that she refused to give up after the first failure. I also appreciated that the author encourages children to write letters and be heard, too.

I was a bit surprised by her position on women's lib issues, particularly on the subject of women being granted the right to vote, but she lived during a time in history when women were still quite restricted. The controversial aspects of Thanksgiving aren't really covered, but they weren't the focus.

We liked the colorful illustrations that add a bit of humor to the story and offer some nice details (like Sarah writing thousands of letters while surrounded by five young children.) We also liked the comprehensive Feast of Facts at the end of the book, although it's quite long and takes much more time to read than the story itself.

Overall, we found this to be an interesting book and we really enjoyed reading it together.

[Ruhama · Rating 5 out of 5]

Need another book about Thanksgiving, but one with a little twist? This is the story of how Thanksgiving almost wasn’t a holiday, and how one woman lobbied to get it an official national holiday. Sarah Hale used the power of the written word, and patience, to get her message to
several presidents. Abraham Lincoln finally agreed, and in 1863 it was appointed to the 4th Thursday of November. There is “A Feast of Facts” at the end of the book, which goes into more detail about the various aspects of this particular holiday (even why football and parades
happen on Thanksgiving!). The style is similar to So You Want to be President, with fun illustrations (lots of extras—be sure to check out the cheering turkeys when Anderson informs us that we almost lost Thanksgiving), fun text (it’s rather conversational at points), and lots of tidbits of information sprinkled throughout the story. This book also is a good confidence builder, and supports superheroes of the ordinary sort.

[Ashley Thorpe · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book was very interesting. The pages bleed from each of the pages and the pages are full of color and bright. The text is all the same and when reading it, it feels likes a child it writing it because it talks about the women as "awesome". As well, the words are simple for children to read. I enjoyed that the text was simple to read and some words were big if they page before was left on a cliff hanger. I laughed when some of the words that would usually be a curse or inappropriate word for children and they switched it for something silly (i.e. curdled her gravy). This is a great book for thanksgiving to read to the children because it is about the holiday and would be great activities to do with children off the book. I enjoyed that this women did all of this work to get something she wanted, it makes girls feel more like they can do anything.

[Sam Bloom · Rating 5 out of 5]

Entertaining, informative, and funny - another great nonfiction book for kids. I'm actually embarrassed to say that, before reading this, I wouldn't have been able to tell you who Sarah Hale was. Laurie Halse Anderson's conversational style of writing blends perfectly with Matt Faulkner's cartoonish illustrations, and the afterword, "A Feast of Facts" (Get it? Feast... Thanksgiving...) is pretty darn interesting. For example, did you know that in 1939 and 1940 FDR declared Thanksgiving on the THIRD Thursday in November? It was an attempt to stimulate the economy by lengthening the holiday shopping season. How'd that work out for you, FDR? Anyway, great, great book.

[Marc Bisson · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a beautiful book about Sarah Hale, the woman tho saved Thanksgiving. Throughout the book, the author provides details about how Sarah Hale was a persistent woman who worked hard for what she believed in. Her persistence for 35 years finally paid off when Abraham Lincoln believed that Thanksgiving should be a national holiday for everyone to celebrate.

My students thoroughly enjoyed this book and they were able to describe Sarah using rich adjectives and evidence to support their thinking. I would definitely use this book again during Thanksgiving time.

[Burbank Library Children's Department · Rating 4 out of 5]

Did you know we almost lost the Thanksgiving holiday? Thankfully, Sarah Hale, a little known historical heroine came along and spent 38 years writing letters to a succession of presidents before Lincoln made it an official holiday in 1863. This fun, colorful picture book biography charts the course of Sarah's campaign as well as other fun facts about her life (she wrote "Mary Had a Little Lamb" too). What an amazing book about a remarkable woman. Check it out!

[Maggie Mattmiller · Rating 5 out of 5]

Why have I never heard of this amazing woman?! Not only did she save Thanksgiving, and write "Mary Had A Little Lamb", but she sounds like a true inspiration and an overall strong woman. This book will teach young girls (and boys!) to fight for what they believe in, to really stick with it, and to never give up. The book will teach kids the history of Thanksgiving in our country in an entertaining way- it's not at all boring or dry! Highly recommend this one!

[PinkAmy loves books, cats and naps · Rating 5 out of 5]

THANK YOU, SARAH is a delightful story with engaging illustrations about Sarah Hale, whose letter writing campaign to make Thanksgiving a national holiday. Sarah’s years long persistence spanned four presidents. Laurie Halse Anderson calls Sarah a superhero reminding readers heroes come in all shapes and sizes. Anderson has facts about Thanksgiving after Sarah’s story.

**THANK YOU, SARAH only worked on my iPad kindle app, it wasn’t formatted for my actual kindle.

[Kendra · Rating 5 out of 5]

I LOVED this book. Absolutely adored it. A must read - every year! I love non-fiction historical picture books and I love that this book highlighted a strong female and her role in helping Thanksgiving become a National Holiday. Go check it out and read it to your kids (especially your daughters!).

[Laurie B · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love Thanksgiving, so I loved learning about how it became a national holiday. Thank you, Sarah Hale! (Did you know she also wrote "Mary Had a Little Lamb"? I didn't!) This would make a great read-aloud for classrooms, libraries, or even around your Thanksgiving table. And it sends a positive message about perseverance.

[Michelle Kelley · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fascinating picture book about Sarah Hale whose accomplishments included petitioning several presidents for a national Thanksgiving holiday which was finally approved by Abraham Lincoln. She also wrote, "Mary Had a Little Lamb" and as the first American editor of a major magazine, published authors such as Poe, Hawthorne, Irving, She was a strong advocate of education for women.

[June · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fantastic! Woman superhero proves the pen is mightier than the sword.

Hopefully, I will get to read this to a 3rd grade class next week.

Used with a first grade class.

Third grade class made it and use it with them.

[Natalie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very interesting. I loved the author's tone and the way the story progressed. You could tell it was very well researched.

[Andrea · Rating 2 out of 5]

I wasn’t crazy about the illustrations. It looked like a cartoon or something, with all of those lines on everything. I don’t like that style of art.

I was surprised when she said that—I was really surprised to learn a woman had wrote this, because it sounded like a man did. It’s funny how if you read without looking at the author’s name first, the feel of it leads you to believe it’s been written by the opposite sex—the Pilgrims ate pumpkin pie and the works, because they didn’t have the items we do today, and they certainly didn’t have pumpkin pie!

I didn’t really like the style of writing. “You think you know everything about Thanksgiving, don’t you?” and “Well, listen up. I have a news flash.” It wasn’t written the way I thought it would be. I thought it would be a quaint little historical tale with charming writing, not kind of an in-your-face way of writing directly to the reader.

It was cute that when the TV said Thanksgiving was canceled, all of the turkeys are laughing and smiling at the man in the recliner. I liked the line “Way, way back, when skirts were long and hats were tall…”

I didn’t like the superhero guy, with the big chin and squared-off face, with the tiny mask covering his eyes. Not really a good image. It was nice when she wrote “Never underestimate dainty little ladies.”

Sarah Hale fought for schools for girls. I liked the image of the Boys School and people hanging a sign above that saying “Girls and” so it read “Girls and Boys School.” She fought for playgrounds for kids, and historical monuments. She stood up against spanking, pie for breakfast, boring stories, corsets, bloomers and bustles. A turkey was pulling the strings on her corset in its beak; that was a cute touch. She also fought for Thanksgiving, and fought against slavery.

I’ve never learned about her before, so it was nice to read about a strong, inspirational heroine. She raised 5 kids, wrote poetry, children’s books, novels, and biographies. She was the first female magazine editor in the U.S., and published authors like Henry Wadsworth Longfellow and Edgar Allan Poe. She also composed Mary Had a Little Lamb.

It was inspirational that the author felt her secret weapon was a pen. Sarah never stopped writing. Any issue that needed awareness or change, she would write about it, sending letters and writing articles.

Kids would find it funny, when people ignored Thanksgiving, “it curdled her gravy.” She was standing on the sidewalk holding signs with her kids that said “It’s Thanksgiving! Do you know where your turkey is? And one of the boys stuck his tongue out to a girl riding by in a carriage, who had her tongue out to him.

Sarah wrote letters to her neighbors, and women supported her and wrote their own letters to politicians. Because of them, states started to make Thanksgiving a holiday, but Sarah wanted the whole country to celebrate it together, on the same day. So she went to a higher power, the State House. It’s funny the words “Go away. We’re busy” were written in the stone.

Sarah wrote to the president to request a national holiday, Zachary Taylor, who turned her down. She wrote to the next president, Millard Fillmore, but he too turned her down. She didn’t quit, and wrote to the next one, Franklin Pierce, who also said no. She then wrote to President James Buchanan, urging the country to celebrate Thanksgiving on the fourth Sunday. He denied this. The country was at war then, the North against the South. The States that had agreed to celebrate the holiday no longer wanted to.

It was a nice lesson that even this fourth rejection didn’t stop her. It was a good line that superheroes work the hardest when things get tough. The last letter she wrote was to President Abraham Lincoln. He said yes, and Thanksgiving became a national holiday. It took Sarah 38 years and thousands of letters, but her wish finally came true.

I didn't like the last pages with the big dinosaur balloon saying Thank you Sarah. It was weird to have that, and a football blimp and a camel. There were teepees and people in headscarves, showing all of the different people that celebrate the holiday together, but the illustrations weren't helping the subject matter.

I liked the information at the end. The colonists continued to hold annual harvest festivals by the mid-1600s. They did so when the crops had been harvested, and each community in New England chose when they would celebrate. It was dependent upon the weather and the timing of the harvest.

The date that Sarah selected for the observation of Thanksgiving had already been chosen by George Washington. It was interesting that all of the presidents after Lincoln celebrated on the fourth Thursday, until Franklin Roosevelt. It was during the Great Depression and people asked him to move Thanksgiving up one week, to lengthen the shopping season for Christmas, so in 1939 and 1940 Thanksgiving was on the third Thursday. The country was angry and 23 states called it “Franksgiving” and refused to celebrate it then, waited for the fourth Thursday. 23 other states went along with it. Colorado and Texas had Thanksgiving on both Thursdays. Roosevelt announced in ’41 that the plan was a failure and sales hadn’t increased even though people had more time to shop.
The end got really random and had no place in this Thanksgiving tale. It read like a history books with bullet points of fun facts and dates of things that happened that had nothing to do with Thanksgiving. Like when the first cereal came out, and the first roller skates. Also when Arizona was established, when Henry Ford was born, when the first train track was created, and when Navajo were forced to surrender. This would have been fine in a book about U.S. history.

The information on how the country split between the North and South and started the war was good. It explains how their economies were different, and the North was industrialized and the South was about agriculture. That, and the disagreement about owning slaves led to the war.

There was some interesting information on Sarah Hale and her life. Her dad was a disabled veteran of the Revolutionary War and she grew up listening to his stories. When her brothers went away to college, her dad sold the farm, because the chores were hard for him to do, and moved to town. She helped by teaching children. It was so cool to learn the story behind Mary Had a Little Lamb, that one day a lamb followed a girl to school and waited there all day for her to come out. It was nice that she married a lawyer that loved books as much as he did, but so sad he died of pneumonia when she was pregnant with their fifth kid. She wore black the rest of her life.

The women’s magazine was really neat. It had fashions, household advice, recipes, and educational articles about things like ancient Rome, poetry and short stories. I was surprised she didn’t agree with the women’s movement, didn’t think men and women were equal. That’s understandable for the time, but disappointing all the same. She believed men’s and women’s activities were separate and didn’t overlap, so that made sense.

It was inspiring that she said some people think kids are powerless because they’re not old enough to vote, but that isn’t true because they can write letters to the government. “Pick up your pen. Change the world.” Very inspirational to think that change is just a letter away.

“The pen is mightier than the word.”—Edward Bulwer-Lytton

This was an okay read. The illustrations had an older feel to them, which let readers know it was set in an earlier time, but I didn't like them. The writing was simple and nothing spectacular. It's just a story that lets us know who fought to have Thanksgiving a national holiday and wouldn't give up until she saw it done, so this is inspirational to not just girls but all kids who can see they have power to make change.

After reading the author's bio I see now why she wrote it. Being a descendant of such an important person in history would be something to be proud of. I guess she wanted the world to know who was behind our holiday and getting it the national recognition it has now. Also cool to learn the Fever 1793 book I picked up is by her also.

[Heather · Rating 3 out of 5]

I saved this to read on Thanksgiving Day, and ended up reading it on commercials during The Wizard of Oz. When I checked this out at the library, the librarian said this was a good book. I wasn't sure because of the cartoon-ish like drawings. I thought this might be a hokey sort of corny book.
‘when skirts were long and hats were tall.’ Cute!
Thanksgiving wasn’t being ccelebrated in the South, West, and Middle atlantic?
That’s funny when it said thanksgiving needed a superhero! &not that kind of superhero. &there’s a guy in a turkey costume that says ‘Turkey Dude.’
I love the line, ‘Never underestimate dainty little ladies.’
That’s amazing, Sarah Hale fought for school playgrounds, girls schools, and historical monuments.
Didn’t like spanking, pie for breakfast, dull stories, corsets, bloomers and bustles, and slavery.
Idk why there’s a turkey tightening her corset strings.
She had 5 children, wrote poetry, children’s books, novels, biographies, first female magazine editor in America, and even published authors like Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, Edgar Allen Poe, and composed Mary Had a Little Lamb. Wow!
I love that her secret weapon turned out to be a pen. I wasn’t expecting that.
&how she wrote about things she didn’t like, and wanted to make the world a better place.
This was funny: ‘When folks started to ignore Thanksgiving, well, that just curdled her gravy.’
That’s amazing she wrote to politicians, and got the states to celebrate Thanksgiving. But she wanted the whole country to, so she went ‘to the top.’
She wrote to 3 presidents, Zachary Taylor, Millard Fillmore, and Franklin Pierce, and James Buchanan.
It’s funny how it said Buchanan had other things on his mind, like pro/anti slavery, abolition, union, states rights and secession. I think we can pardon him since he had all that to deal with!
‘Sarah felt like the stuffing had been kicked out of her.’ Lil thanksgiving pun there.
During this time, the north was fighting the south. &the states that had agreed to celebrate Thanksgiving changed their minds.
Another good line: ‘Superheroes work the hardest when things get tough.’
Then she wrote to Abraham Lincoln. I know where this is going! Because I’ve been reading in a lot of these Thanksgiving books that Lincoln made Thanksgiving a national holiday!


I love that 'LINCOLN SAID YES!' Was in caps. Shows the excitement and surprise of it.
I was thinking as she wrote to 4 or 5 dif presidents, that would take at least 4 years each. So she should have been aging, but the pictures didn't show it. She looked the same.
I couldn't believe 38 years had passed!! Does that mean she was 38, or 38 years since she started?
Shows dif cultures at the table.
That dog is colored funnily.
-I didn't know this. Every president after Lincoln celebrated it the 4th Thursday until Franklin Roosevelt. Ppl asked him to lengthen the holiday shopping season by moving it up one week. In 1939 and 40, it was celebrated the third Thursday. They called it Franksgiving.
23 states side with him, 23 didn't and Texas and Colorado celebrated both Thursdays.
Then it went back to being the 4th in 1941.
Football was played in the 1870s on thanksgiving!
That's crazy by 1893, it was said that "thanksgiving day is no longer a solemn festival to God for mercies given...it is a holiday granted by the State and the Nation to see a game of football."
The first Macies parade was in 1924.
Organized by store employees, had animals from Central Park zoo.
I like the fun facts.
Can't believe Henry ford's birth was on there!
I didn't know soldiers led by Kit Carson force Navajo to walk 350 miles to a prison camp, where they're held for three years.
-her dad was a disabled vet from the revolutionary war. Grew up hearing his patriotic stories.
A lamb followed one of her students to school, and that's where Mary had a little lamb was born!
That's so sweet: 'David loved books as much as Sarah did.' It's so sad he died of pneumonia, and she was pregnant with her 5th child.& she wore mourning dresses the rest of her life.
That's amazing she wrote her first novel and a publisher read it and offered her a job for the Ladies Magazine.
That's cool, the magazine was about fashion, household, and education, and you could also find essays about Ancient Rome.
Edgar Allan Poe, Harriet Beecher Stowe, Nathaniel Hawthorne, Henry wads worth Longfellow, Lydia M. child, Frances hodgson Burnett(dk her), Washington Irving, and Charles dickens.
I'm surprised she didn't agree with Elizabeth Cady Stanton and Susan B. Anthony. She thought women should have an education, but they weren't equal to men. Men had their activities and women had theirs.
Scholars think Sarah saw herself as a traditional woman. Her life was like Queen Victoria, who she admired. She became queen in 1837, the same year sarah worked for a dif magazine, Godey's lady's book.
Both were family women, widows, and influential. Victoria was widowed! Oh no!
'They saw themselves as traditional women, even though they lived untraditional lives.'
It's strange she didn't think men and women were equal, but she pushed for women's doctors and teachers
Louis Godey didn't want her talking about slavery in the mag cuz he didn't want politics in his magazine. Smart thinking.
She retired when she was 89!! And continued to write until she died when she was 90. 'She died in her 90th year, a daughter of the American revolution who changed the country with her ideas.'
Women couldn't vote until 1920, 41 years after her death.
It was weird to switch to children, because it hadn't discussed them. & Sarah wasn't a child when she started. 'Some ppl think that children have no power because they can't vote. Wrong. Children have a great deal of influence. They can write to newspaper editors and government representatives, petition community leaders, and lobby Congress.'
Pick up your pen. Change the world.'
I guess it mentions kids cuz this is a kids book. It speaks to them.
"The pen is mightier than the sword."
Edward bulwer-Lytton. Love that quote. Great way to end it.
OMG!! She's a descendant of Sarah Hale. How awesome!
Didn't know Mexico was a town in New York!
I like the fun facts and bios at the end, however I don't see kids wanting to read that at all. Maybe middle schoolers. Maybe it's geared more for adults, after reading the story to their kids.

This was a good book. Inspirational, and it’ll teach kids not to give up. And that you can make a difference, even just by writing. And that determination can pay off in the end, even if it takes a long time. A feel good story for the Thanksgiving holiday, as well as a historical and educational book. I had never heard of Sarah Hale before, so now when I think of Thanksgiving, I'll think of Lincoln for making it a national holiday, as well as Sarah for contributing to it becoming a holiday.

[Ammie · Rating 5 out of 5]

We really like this one. Maybe because it's different from everything else we read this time of ear. Maybe because we need this kind of perseverance.

[Jillian · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting story of perseverance! Liked it, but feels like the reality of the Native perspective is erased and glossed over.

[Sarah Muang]

I love this book! it has my name and it was also thanksgiving
I love how she never gave up she kept trying and trying until
a president said they were going to make thanksgiving a Holiday.