Review - Franklin's Thanksgiving

Franklin's Thanksgiving (Franklin the Turtle)
by Sharon Jennings
illustrated by Brenda Clark
Date: 2001
Publisher: Kids Can Press
Reading level: C
Book type: picture book
Pages: 32
Format: e-book
Source: library

In this Franklin Classic Storybook, our young hero likes everything about Thanksgiving, from eating pumpkin-fly pie to making cornucopias. But what he likes best is having his Grandma and Grandpa share the holiday with him and his family. This year, however, his grandparents are traveling abroad. Thanksgiving just won’t be the same without guests around the table, so Franklin decides to invite some friends for dinner. What a nice surprise it will be for his parents. Only Franklin’s mother and father have the same idea, and on Thanksgiving Day all their friends show up for the festivities! With no more room in the house, where will the holiday meal take place?

(synopsis from Goodreads)

Aside from giving kids the idea to invite the whole neighbourhood to your house for Thanksgiving, this is a fairly cute story about Franklin and his family and friends. When his grandparents can't make it for Thanksgiving, he gets the idea to invite his teacher for dinner. He figures his parents will appreciate having company. Unbeknownst to him, though, his parents are inviting their own guests. When the big day arrives, the house is full! Too full, actually, and everyone must get creative to make sure the dinner goes smoothly.

The pictures are cute, and the story is fairly well written. I think kids will probably enjoy this one (and it won't be an unpleasant experience for their parents to read it to them).

Overall, this is a nice Thanksgiving book that emphasizes social connections (rather than just pigging out). I'd recommend it to people looking to add to their collection of holiday picture books.

Quotable moment:

Premise: 3/5
Meter: n/a
Writing: 4/5
Illustrations: 4/5
Originality: 4/5

Enjoyment: 3/5

Overall: 3.5 out of 5