Thanksgiving Mice

Last updated November 8, 2004

Author: Bethany Roberts
Illustrator: Doug Cushman
Date of Publication: 2001
ISBN: 0618120408
Grade Level: Kindergarten
Date(s) Used: November 2004

Synopsis: It's Thanksgiving and four adorable mice are putting on a play for their woodland friends in this delightful read-aloud, the fourth book about the holiday mice. Lively verse introduces beginning readers to basic words and rhyming sounds and tells the story of the very first Thanksgiving, when the Pilgrim mice traveled across the sea and settled in America. The simple story-within-a-story format, accompanied by colorful, action-filled illustrations of mice in costume, also serves as a basic introduction to theater.

Discussion topics for before reading:

• What does your family do on Thanksgiving Day?
• What kind of Thanksgiving decorations does your classroom have?

Discussion topics for after reading:

• What kind of clothes did the Pilgrim mice in the story wear?
• Where might the Pilgrim mice have settled if they had landed in California?

Craft ideas:

• Color and cut out a Thanksgiving mouse face, that is about the size of the child's face, complete with whiskers and a pilgrim's hat. Attach it to a headband that has been decorated with various Thanksgiving designs.
• Make pilgrim hats of your own.
• Draw and color various Thanksgiving foods.
• Draw and color the Mayflower.

*Note: These craft ideas are just suggestions. You can use them, but you don’t have to use them. You can expand upon them, or add your own twist. Remember, though, that the focus of your time should not be on the development and execution of a craft; the focus should be on the read-aloud and the enjoyment of the book!