Thanksgiving Graces is truly a story about what it means to celebrate Thanksgiving. Written from the perspective of the youngest member of the family, we see that he is taking it all in. The family is getting ready for the celebration and the narrator has been helping his parents and grandparents. It feels a bit like this might be the first Thanksgiving that he understands this holiday and is working out the details of how it all works. As the story progresses family members being arriving as food is being prepared.

Friends from far and near enter in. The house is filling fast and our little narrator begins to worry if there will be enough food and room for all these people. His Grandmother sits with him and assures him that there will be plenty. She reminds him of the story of Jesus and the fishes and loaves. Finally, he sees the bigger picture that Thanksgiving is about sharing and caring for one another. It is about friends and family coming together to share a meal and memories.

Moulton did a great job telling this story. It felt like you were part of this great big bunch and the child’s love for each guest shows in his descriptions. He mixes the lesson of giving through the rhyming words effortlessly. The illustrations by David Wenzel tie it all together. From the cover to the end the colorful pictures and engaging story draw you in.

This story spoke to me because we’ve always had an open-door policy for holidays. Over the years we’ve hosted many people both family and friends for many holidays. That is a lesson I hope my kids have learned and this book is a gentle reminder to use our home for The Lord. I love seasonal stories. We keep a special shelf for holiday books and this one has earned a place for this year and many years to come.

Thanksgiving Graces is a soft bound picture book designed for ages four through seven. It features 32 pages and retails for $7.99 

-Product review by Lisa Rupertus, The Old Schoolhouse® Magazine, LLC, October, 2018