1, 2, 3, Thanksgiving!

by W. Nikola-Lisa, Robin Kramer (Illustrator)

A Thanksgiving counting book depicting the numbers one through ten through scenes of a family preparing for the holiday.

Genres: Thanksgiving, Picture Books, Storytime, Counting, Family, Childrens, Holiday

32 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1991

About the author

W. Nikola-Lisa's interest in writing books for young readers began as an elementary school teacher. He is the author of numerous books, including the award-winning Bein' With You This Way (Lee & Low), Shake Dem Halloween Bones (Houghton Mifflin) and the How We Are Smart (Lee & Low), recipient of the prestigious Christopher Award. As an accomplished storyteller and musician, Mr. Nikola-Lisa enjoys sharing his writing experiences with elementary and middle school students nationwide.

Reviews

[Angela · Rating 4 out of 5]

A unique Thanksgiving counting book that invites readers to count up to ten and back down again to one as a family celebrates Thanksgiving. I can’t think of any other counting picture books off the top of my head that go forward and backward like that – very cool! I like how you can find the number itself hidden somewhere in each illustration, and having the number repeated at the top of the page followed by the correct quantity of items is a good way to reinforce the counting concept. The illustrations themselves are cheerful and soft, the warm yellow glow of the background creating an inviting atmosphere. The small details on each page make this a better choice for one-on-one reading than for a group storytime.

[Aneesa · Rating 3 out of 5]

Came in the library's Thanksgiving grab bag with four other non-offensive books about food.

[Lexi.vernaglia · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a primary book that actually has a story line to it. Of course it is a very simple and easy to follow story line considering it is a primary numbers books. This book tells the story of preparing for Thanksgiving dinner and what the family does after the dinner. Things like singing songs with the family and cleaning up the table. This book counted from one to ten. It would say the number of things, then hidden in the picture would be the actual number, then at the top of the page would be the number of what ever it was that they were counting in a line after the actual number itself. For example “Baby brother squishes five juicy raisins,” There is a number five hidden in the bib, then at the top of the page outside the frame of the picture there is a number five with five raisins in a line. After the story got to the number ten, which was right when dinner got ready, they counted from ten all the way down to one as they cleaned up and sang songs.
As a teacher you could use this book to teach children their numbers and how to count. You could use it to familiarize them with how the number looks and have them find the number that is hidden in the picture.

[Russell · Rating 2 out of 5]

Every family has an aunt Evelyn. While every other member of the family is pitching in to prepare the Thanksgiving feast, she's carrying flowers around. Did she show up drunk, to her son Raymond and husband Martin's shame? Does Martin dive into washing the vegetables just to avoid the issue?

Immediately before the meal she shushes Raymond, when it's her that should be quieted. After the meal is finished and she's dipped a bit too much into the wine, she begins to play on the piano. The parents wish they had gotten rid of the piano, and briefly inwardly cheer when the piano stops. This fleeting moment of joy turns into horror, as Evelyn has begun tormenting the cat. Ugh.

[Emily Augustus --Louisville KY · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a cute book to discuss Thanksgiving. My students love to count along as I read, as well as discuss their family traditions.

[Julie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wonderful book for counting up and down. Great for a storytime.

[Elanor]

All by herself!

[The Bougie Twins · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars