The First Thanksgiving is a story involving Lester's sixth-grade class project. The project is for each student to write from a Pilgrim's point of view, a report on what it would be like to live in a new land in the wilderness of America in the year 1621. Lester has a dream about the report. In his dream, Lester sees himself as a 12-year-old Pilgrim boy named Isaac, who meets an Indian boy his own age in the colony. His name is Squanto. In order to learn about each other's culture, they agree to live together with Squanto's tribe. After a period of time, Squanto agrees to live with Isaac in the English colony. During the exchange, a wealth of information is discovered about the two boys' different lifestyles. The boys learn about the difference between each other's religious beliefs, culture, and what it is like from the other person's point of view. Both boys soon discover differences between the two races of people.
Lester writes his report about his dream experience as Isaac, and about his Indian friend, Squanto. This paper wins a state award for the school and his sixth-grade class. Lester is awarded a college scholarship for his outstanding scholarly work.
THE SERIES:
Holiday Favorites is a collection of nine novellas (short stories) written by George F. Kohn. Most of the stories coincide with the holiday months of the school calendar year, each of those stories being dedicated to its special holiday.
October is Halloween - The Legend of "The Hal-lo-Ween and the Motorcycle Witch"
November is Thanksgiving - The First Thanksgiving
December is Christmas - The Magic Christmas Tree
February is Valentine's Day - A Valentine Dream
March is Easter - A Big Surprise for Easter
April is a celebration in St. Petersburg, Florida - The Festival of States Parade
July is Independence Day - The Big Fourth
The last two stories, in addition to the holiday stories, are about exploring the unknown - what if? They involve using the reader's own imagination and creativity:
The Experiment - an alien mission harvests ancient implants.
Neanderthal versus Cro-Magnon - different cultures and skills of two tribes are explored.
INTRODUCTION to SERIES:
A long time ago, before television, forests grew all around a neighborhood near the edge of the great forbidden Cypress Swamp. The people in the neighborhood all shared their lives, beliefs, and superstitions, creating an atmosphere of adventure throughout the neighborhood.
In the neighborhood lived five young boys. There was an old mulberry tree that stood on the outskirts of town. Over the years, someone had built a tree house in the fork of two large limbs that spread out over the cemetery. The tree house, called the Fort, was built large enough for the boys to use as their clubhouse. Inside the tree Fort, the boys had a panoramic view of the surrounding area. Looking out the north window, the boys could see a large meadow stretching out into the distance. Through the east window, they could see far away the top of a bald cypress tree. Everyone knew that meant there was a dangerous swamp nearby. In this series of stories, some strange and incredible things happen in the area to challenge the boys' ingenuity. Utilizing their imagination and skills, the boys successfully solve one problem after another. What is real, and how much is in their imagination?
