Sarah Gives Thanks (review)

This picture-book biography traces the life of Sarah Josepha Hale, the nineteenth-century writer and editor best known for nudging, pestering, and nagging presidents into making Thanksgiving a national holiday. Allegra's account covers a bit more of Hale's personal history than Laurie Halse Anderson's Thank You, Sarah (BCCB 2/03), particularly Hale's work as a contributor and editor of influential women's magazines. The trade-off, however, is that less attention is paid to how the interpretation of Thanksgiving as a public feast has evolved over time, culminating in the pie and football fest in which we indulge today. Flashbacks to Hale's early years are somewhat abrupt and disorienting in a brief work without section headings, and the youngest listeners may need assistance in placing events in chronological order. Gardner's vibrant line and watercolor pictures, reminiscent of the biographical illustrations of Emily Arnold McCully, are pleasant to peruse but don't establish a steady age progression that would help children understand just how many years Hale's Thanksgiving crusade lasted. An informative author's note on Hale's many other causes assures this title will certainly get its share of curricular use, but the more energetic Anderson/Faulkner offering is likelier to get the "Read it again!"