Thank You, Sarah: The Woman Who Saved Thanksgiving

by Laurie Halse Anderson, Matt Faulkner (Illustrator)

Overview

From the author of Speak and Fever, 1793, comes the never-before-told tale of Sarah Josepha Hale, the extraordinary "lady editor" who made Thanksgiving a national holiday!

Thanksgiving might have started with a jubilant feast on Plymouth's shore. But by the 1800s America's observance was waning. None of the presidents nor Congress sought to revive the holiday. And so one invincible "lady editor" name Sarah Hale took it upon herself to rewrite the recipe for Thanksgiving as we know it today. This is an inspirational, historical, all-out boisterous tale about perseverance and belief: In 1863 Hale's thirty-five years of petitioning and orations got Abraham Lincoln thinking. He signed the Thanksgiving Proclamation that very year, declaring it a national holiday. This story is a tribute to Hale, her fellow campaigners, and to the amendable government that affords citizens the power to make the world a better place!

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780689851438
Publisher:	Simon & Schuster Books For Young Readers
Publication date:	10/01/2005
Edition description:	Reprint
Pages:	40
Sales rank:	174,639
Product dimensions:	11.00(w) x 8.50(h) x 0.20(d)
Lexile:	AD600L (what's this?)
Age Range:	5 - 8 Years

About the Author

Laurie Halse Anderson is a New York Times bestselling author known for tackling tough subjects with humor and sensitivity. She’s twice been a National Book Award finalist, for Chains and Speak; Chains also received the 2009 Scott O’Dell Award for Historical Fiction. Laurie was chosen for the 2009 Margaret A. Edwards Award and received the Astrid Lindgren Memorial Award in 2023, presented to her by the Crown Princess of Sweden. She lives in Pennsylvania, and you can follow her adventures on X (previously known as Twitter) @HalseAnderson or visit her at MadWomanintheForest.com.

Matt Faulkner is an acclaimed illustrator who has written and illustrated more than thirty books, including Gaijin: American Prisoner of War, which won the Asian/Pacific American Librarians Association Literature Award. He is married to author and children’s librarian Kris Remenar. Visit him at MattFaulkner.com.

Reading Group Guide

Thank You, Sarah



The Woman Who Saved Thanksgiving



By Laurie Halse Anderson



Illustrated by Matt Faulkner



Sarah Hale, a determined widow, magazine editor and author, wanted Thanksgiving declared a national holiday. She launched a letter writing campaign to presidents which lasted thirty-eight years until she finally persuaded Abraham Lincoln to recognize the day.



PREREADING DISCUSSION



Have readers discuss the difference between fiction and nonfiction. Then have them classify Thank You, Sarah, taking hints from the cover of the book.



DISCUSSION QUESTIONS

• Study the artwork on the cover of the book. What is the historical period?

• Foreshadowing is a literary or art technique used to provide clues about something that might occur in the story later. Notice the quill and inkwell on the cover of the book, and the quill on the dedication page. Discuss what this foreshadows about Sarah. Find other examples of foreshadowing in the book. Hint: The bust on the pedestal on the fifth double-page spread.

• Point out the first reference in the book to the way some families spend Thanksgiving today.

• Sarah Hale is described as bold and brave and stubborn and smart. Why were these traits necessary for Sarah to win her battle to save Thanksgiving?

• Discuss why Lincoln, more than the presidents before him, recognized the need to make Thanksgiving a national holiday.

• Note the double-page spread at the end of the book. How many different religions and cultures are represented? Discuss the term “Melting Pot.” How does this illustration represent the concept that the United States is the Melting Pot of the world? What does the illustration reveal about freedom of religion?

• How does Anderson use humor to reveal the conflict of the story and facts about Sarah? Faulkner reveals humor in various ways: exaggeration of character features and expressions, movement, line, bold sizes and shapes, and general content. Analyze the text for humor. Study each illustration, and point out the humor in each one.

CLASSROOM ACTIVITIES

• After her husband died, Sarah Hale took a job making hats to earn money to feed her family. Design a hat that Sarah might have made for Mary Todd Lincoln to wear on the first Thanksgiving after President Lincoln made Thanksgiving a national holiday.

• Read about Sarah on the following website: http://www.pilgrimhall.org/ThanksSarahJosepha.htm. Discuss how her observations as a reader helped her career as an editor. She said that she wanted to “promote the reputation of my own sex, and do something for my own country.” Ask students to prepare a memorial tribute to Sarah on the day that she died that states how she accomplished what she set out to do for her own sex, and her country.

• Divide the class into small groups. Have them take a look at newspaper and magazine advertisements. Then ask them to write and illustrate a full-page advertisement for a Thanksgiving Day newspaper that pays tribute to Sarah Hale. Encourage them to explore different styles of illustration and writing.

• Interpret the following quote by Edward Bulwer-Lytton: “The pen is mightier than the sword.” On the last page of the book, Anderson challenges readers to “Pick up your pen. Change the world.” Encourage readers to think about ways they would like to change the world. What is their passion? Have them write a letter to the editor of a local or national newspaper, a politician, or a school authority about an issue or concern. Make sure they explain the outcome they expect.

• Families have different Thanksgiving traditions. Invite students to bring a favorite family Thanksgiving recipe to class. Make an illustrated Thanksgiving cookbook. Assign groups to write a brief history of Thanksgiving, a tribute to Sarah Hale, an explanation of Thanksgiving symbols and traditions, etc. Then ask students to write about a favorite family Thanksgiving tradition. Bind the book and present it to the library.

This reading group guide has been provided by Simon & Schuster for classroom, library, and reading group use. It may be reproduced in its entirety or excerpted for these purposes.

Editorial Reviews

For most of us, the story of Thanksgiving evokes thoughts of Pilgrims and Native American enjoying a colonial feast. But the story and the celebration might be unknown to us but for the tireless efforts of a little-known woman. For 38 years, persistent patriot Sarah Hale tirelessly wielded her pen, writing public office holders in support of a national holiday for Thanksgiving. Finally, in 1863, President Abraham Lincoln issued a proclamation making this day of Thanksgiving a national holiday. Written by a National Book Award finalist, Thank You, Sarah! pays tribute to a letter-writing heroine.

This tale of a little-known historical heroine touts the power of the pen and persistence. With an irreverent tone ("You think you know everything about Thanksgiving, don't you?") and caricatures that play up past Americans' laissez-faire attitude, Anderson (Speak) and Faulkner (The Amazing Voyage of Jackie Grace) chart the progress of Sarah Hale, whose relentless letters and 38 years of petitioning presidents, secured Thanksgiving's status as a national holiday. A hilarious spread of presidents Taylor and Filmore passing the buck to Pierce (Lincoln finally makes the day official in 1863) typifies the balance of humor and history in this snappy volume. An afterword offers additional delectable facts (e.g., FDR tried moving up the holiday in 1939 and '40 to extend the holiday shopping season; Hale also wrote "Mary Had a Little Lamb"). Ages 5-10. (Oct.)

Publishers Weekly

Gr 1-4-Anderson turns a little-known historical tidbit into a fresh, funny, and inspirational alternative to the standard Thanksgiving stories. Alarmed that the observance was dying out since many states did not observe it at all and those that did had no agreement as to date, Sarah Hale began 38 years of letter writing in support of making it a national holiday. Ignored or refused by administration after administration, she persisted until at last, President Lincoln, possibly persuaded by her argument that it would help to reunite the union, declared the fourth Thursday in November as a national holiday in 1863. The writing sparkles and is well matched by the spirited and irreverent caricatures (including Native people and pilgrims with feathers in their headbands and hats). Lively and provocative sentences involve readers. Anderson doesn't state the facts; she reveals them, unveils them, and celebrates them, and her text certainly shows that persistence and eloquence can succeed. Faulkner takes every opportunity to provide visual humor. He draws Sarah and other ladies storming the doors of the state house with a giant quill pen as a battering ram. His busts of recalcitrant presidents and his graphic depiction of the "other things" President Buchanan had "on his mind" convey complex historical concepts while adding to the humorous tone of the book. A "Feast of Facts" gives more information on Thanksgiving, Hale, and the year 1863, and ends with the exhortation: "Pick up your pen. Change the world."-Louise L. Sherman, formerly at Anna C. Scott School, Leonia, NJ Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information.

School Library Journal

The impish Faulkner (The Monster Who Ate My Peas, 2001, etc.) illustrates this rousing account of Sarah Hale's campaign to make Thanksgiving a national holiday with crowds of caricatured celebrants in buckskins, football equipment, and every style of dress in between. ("Thanksgiving Canceled-No Football Today.") Anderson (Catalyst, p. 1300, etc.), in a really silly mood, tells the tale with wide open theatricality: trumpeting, "WE ALMOST LOST . . . THANKSGIVING!" across a spread of dismayed diners and relieved looking turkeys, she introduces "a dainty little lady" as the holiday's champion. An unlikely hero? "Never underestimate dainty little ladies," the author warns, launching into a portrait of a 19th-century supermom-novelist, educator, magazine editor, widowed mother of five, eloquent supporter of many social causes and, yes, author of "Mary Had a Little Lamb"-who took on four Presidents in succession before finding one, Lincoln, who agreed with her that Thanksgiving, which had been largely a northeastern holiday, should be celebrated nationwide. "When folks started to ignore Thanksgiving, well, that just curdled her gravy." Dishing up a closing "Feast of Facts" about the day and the woman, Anderson offers readers both an indomitable role model and a memorable, often hilarious glimpse into the historical development of this country's common culture. Thank you, Anderson and Faulkner. (bibliography of sources) (Picture book/biography. 6-9)

Kirkus Reviews