Linnea Hendrickson (Children's Literature)
The process of historical investigation is here presented at its best, in a way that elementary school-aged children, who often study Thanksgiving as part of their curriculum, can understand. The modern photographs, unusual in historical work, serve to illustrate the differences between the legendary, romanticized, and culturally biased depictions that have evolved over time, with what might have actually happened. The foreword begins with the acknowledgment that our source of information comes from one brief paragraph written in 1621. Throughout the book, there is an emphasis on the process of re-interpretation and re-thinking the event, on stripping away layers of received opinion, and on elucidating the way interpretations have been culturally and politically determined. Such questions as how we know what we know and how history is interpreted are linked to concrete details of clothing, housing, and food. There are two chronologies, an index, and a brief but nicely organized bibliography, including a link to the Plimoth website. The photographs are engaging and clear, the layout is attractive, the text clearly written, and the complicated tasks of historical research, documentation, re-enactment, and analysis are nicely integrated. 2001, National Geographic Society, $17.95. Ages 8 to 12.

CCBC (Cooperative Children's Book Center Choices, 2002)
What really happened at the first harvest gathering between Wampanoag Indians and English settlers? So little was documented then that, over time, the event has become mythologized and celebrated as the U.S. Thanksgiving holiday. Based on the in-depth research conducted in recent years at the Plimoth Plantation living history museum, Grace and Bruchac separate fact from fantasy and provide an account of what most likely happened. Color photographs from a three-day reenactment that occurred at Plimoth Plantation in 2000 add accurate cultural and historical details. CCBC categories: Historical People, Places, and Events; Issues in Today's World. 2001, National Geographic Society, 48 pages, $17.95. Ages 7-14.

Kirkus (Kirkus Reviews, August 1, 2001 (Vol. 69, No. 15))
Thanksgiving, the myth, surrenders to Thanksgiving, the real story, in this collaboration of historians, scholars, and descendants of the Wampanoag people. The original event, attended by 90 Natives and 52 colonists probably lasted for three days and was held for political reasons. The village, Pauxet, now called Plymouth, was empty of its Native people who died of plague and left their fields, stores of corn, and supplies of baskets and pots. When the English arrived, they used the materials and saw them as God's providence. The Wampanoag interpreted their use as stealing. Nevertheless, a relationship developed between the decimated Wampanoag and the settlers based on the need for a military alliance of mutual protection against neighboring tribes. A gathering to celebrate the harvest was traditional to both peoples but was unlikely to be called Thanksgiving or to have a religious base. Neither turkey nor cranberries were eaten at the feast. Thanksgiving as we know it today evolved from this first gathering but hardly resembles it. This handsome volume is liberally illustrated with color photographs taken at the Plimoth Plantation with its staff in costumes of the period recreating the early days. Although the explanatory text indicates that the photos are of actors, the captions often do not, which may lead to some confusion. Despite this flaw, the story is well told and brings current scholarship to young people in an accessible form. A chronology, index, and brief explanation of the historical fact-finding process increases the usefulness to teachers and students. For another example on this same subject, see Kate Waters's "Giving Thanks "(below). (foreword, bibliography, photo credits) 2001, National Geographic, $17.95. Category: Nonfiction. Ages 10 to 13. © 2001 Kirkus Reviews/VNU eMedia, Inc. All rights reserved.

Elizabeth Bush (The Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books, October 2001 (Vol. 55, No. 2))
In October 2000 the Plimoth Plantation living-history museum staged a three-day recreation of the 1621 feast, now commonly but imprecisely termed the First Thanksgiving, and strove to present a more authentic vision of the event with roots in European harvest traditions and Indian diplomacy. The above titles, aimed at different audiences, cover this event through text and on-site photos. In Waters’ offering, a six-year-old Plimoth settler and a Wampanoag teen alternately offer their perspectives of Massasoit’s visit and the reception of his entourage. The “real time” story format, which Waters has employed in previous photoessays (Sarah Morton’s Day, BCCB 1/90, etc.), is well balanced and supplemented with extensive endnotes on the feast, the Plimoth recreation, and the development of the Thanksgiving myth; a glossary (and an inaccurate recipe for samp) is also included. Grace and Bruchac’s title features brief but problematically organized thematic chapters that give a broader view of Wampanoag life and take an overtly sterner view of the settlers’ exploitation of Wampanoag land and culture. Indeed, the closing paragraph of the text could serve as thesis rather than conclusion: “Considering this history and what came in later centuries, Native people do not share in the popular reverence for the traditional New England ‘Thanksgiving.’ To the Wampanoag, the holiday is a reminder of the arrival of the English in their homeland, a presence that brought betrayal and bloodshed.” The address of some thought-provoking issues, however, makes this a stimulating counterpoint to other accounts and a guaranteed discussion-starter. In demonstrating how diverse cultures approach a common experience, Waters prepares readers to grapple with Grace and Bruchac’s more challenging blasting of a popular myth. (Reviewed from galleys) Review Code: R -- Recommended. (c) Copyright 2001, The Board of Trustees of the University of Illinois. 2001, National Geographic, 48p, $17.95. Grades 4-6.

Horn Book (The Horn Book Guide, Fall 2002)
Trying to change misperceptions about Thanksgiving, this volume describes what is known about the English settlers’ relations with the Wampanoag and is illustrated with color photos of interpreters from Plimoth Plantation. The scholarship is balanced, but the photo captions misleadingly identify the subjects as the actual historical persons. The book contains a timeline. Bib., ind. Category: Nonfiction-History. 2002, National, 48pp, $17.95. Ages 9 to 12. Rating: 4: Recommended, with minor flaws.