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Summary
Summary
" Our smoke alarm is wailing.
Our turkey, burnt as toast.
Dad spills the gravy down his shirt-
a less-than-perfect host".
Enter two families who couldn't be more opposite. Family one seems just perfect-with a plump golden turkey, gorgeous whipped cream swirls atop their pie, and lace napkins on the table. Family two, on the other hand, seems far from it! The turkey burns, the Jell-O wiggles and jiggles right to the floor, and Dad's shirt serves as napkin. What could these two very different families possibly have in common?
Full of whimsy, good spirit, and certainly familial love, this laugh-aloud picture book is sure to add spice to any Thanksgiving feast.
Author Notes
Eileen Spinelli was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania on August 16, 1942. After high school, she worked as a waitress at a local diner, a secretary, and answered phones at an airplane factory. She eventually became the author of children's books. Her picture books include Thanksgiving at the Tappletons, Do You have a Hat, While You are Away, When Mama Comes Home Tonight, Wanda's Monster, Here Comes the Year, A Big Boy Now, and Hug a Bug. She is also the author of several short novels including Lizzie Logan Wears Purple Sunglasses, Lizzie Logan Gets Married, and Lizzie Logan, Second Banana. She received the Christopher Award for Somebody Loves You, Mr. Hatch.
(Bowker Author Biography)
Reviews (5)
School Library Journal Review
PreS-Gr 3-In this tale of two Thanksgivings, a young girl compares her own family's chaotic and less-than-genteel holiday celebration with that of another family, which "is perfect in every way." At that house, "Abigail Archer's father/serves white meat all around./Everyone takes dainty bites,/and no one makes a sound," while at her own home, "My grandpa chews the gizzards./My brother chomps the wings./My sister slurps. My uncle burps./And Aunt Clarissa sings." The jaunty, rhyming text continues to reveal the many contrasts between the two clans, until the final page, when the narrator points out one important similarity, highlighting "-just how loving/our different families are." Combining gouache, colored pencil, and collage, the mixed-media artwork extends the humor of the story. The child-friendly tone is set on the title page, which shows a close-up of the girl's arms, one hand tracing the other with a crayon. The resulting hand turkey, finished off with feathers and features, runs through the pages, taking part in the action and making sly comments. Whether reflecting the serenity at one household or the chaos at the other, the vivid double-page artwork is filled with action and energy. Colorfully clothed characters, vibrant backgrounds, and almost touchable textures make each page fresh and appealing. Filled with warm humor and taking a fresh approach, this title is the perfect antidote to ho-hum holiday books.-Joy Fleishhacker, formerly at School Library Journal (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Publisher's Weekly Review
Hailing from a frenetic family akin to the stars of Spinelli's Thanksgiving at the Tappletons' (noted below), a girl narrator despairs of her relatives' ineptitude as she contrasts her holiday table with that of Abigail Archer: "Their turkey is plump and golden./ Their napkins are made of lace." In puckish mixed-media compositions, Adinolfi (Halloween Hoots and Howls) portrays Abigail's family members dressed to the nines, heads bowed in prayer. With a turn of the page, chaos reigns in the narrator's household: "Our smoke alarm is wailing/ Our turkey, burnt as toast./ Dad spills the gravy down his shirt-/ a less-than-perfect host." Adinolfi shows guests gaping at the smoking turkey in horror as the narrator covers her eyes in shame. But the fun factor is considerably higher at the narrator's: overnight guests camp out in the kitchen, sneak leftovers and take 2:00 a.m. bubble baths, while Abigail's guests sleep uneventfully in private rooms. Readers will likely wonder why Abigail is enviable; the premise begins humorously but ultimately fizzles. Ages 4-7. (Sept.) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved
Horn Book Review
In Abigail Archer's family, Thanksgiving means homemade pies, impeccably behaved children, and playing chess [cf2]for fun[cf1]. The narrator's holiday is just the opposite, consisting of store-bought food and complete chaos. But as the amusing rhyming text makes clear, both families are loving. Stylized illustrations wittily portray the families' antics, often employing sophisticated tongue-in-cheek humor. From HORN BOOK Spring 2004, (c) Copyright 2010. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Kirkus Review
Spinelli depicts divergent and contrasting family lifestyles in this holiday dual scenario. Abigail Archer's family observes Thanksgiving with everything meticulously done, from a plump golden turkey and delectable homemade pie to an afternoon of organized recreation. Mrs. Archer is the complete host, dressed in organdy and pearls. Abigail's friend and droll narrator describes her own mom, dressed in jeans, serving burnt turkey, store-bought pie, and a quivering Jell-O mold before a chaotic afternoon of juvenile fun-loving horseplay and grown-up dozing. Andinolfi caricatures separate formal and informal ways of both families with alternating gouache and collage illustrations on craft paper and extends the satirical rhyming narration with balloon commentary. "Abigail Archer's father / serves white meat all around. / Everyone takes dainty bites, / and no one makes a sound. / My grandpa chews the gizzards. / My brother chomps the wings. / My sister slurps. My uncle burps. / And Aunt Clarissa sings." The jovial celebration of a national feast day highlights the common thread of loving kinship present in both households. (Picture book. 3-6) Copyright ©Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Booklist Review
PreS-Gr. 2. The Archer family is perfect, especially on Thanksgiving, when their turkey is plump and golden, / their napkins are made of lace / their table is lit with candles / they all hold hands for grace. Meanwhile, at the narrator's house, the smoke alarm is wailing, the turkey is burnt, and Dad has spilled the gravy down his shirt. Spinelli goes to the well several times too often with her comparisons, as when the narrator's family can't tell peas from green legumes / or snails from escargot, but kids who have noticed how celebrations can vary from house to house will identify with the point she makes. Adinolfi uses gouache, colored pencils, and collage on craft paper to create energetic pictures, which she peoples with geometrically shaped family members, who are either pursuing perfection or taking part in controlled chaos. Hand-printed asides add extra fun for kids old enough to read. --Ilene Cooper Copyright 2003 Booklist